Gansu human rights defender Long Kehai, sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, spends his 60th birthday in prison

(Rights Defense Network Information Center report) On June 1, 2026, this outlet learned that Gansu human rights defender Long Kehai, who was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, spent his 60th birthday in prison today.

Long Kehai was criminally detained on March 19, 2025, by the Huixian County Public Security Bureau in Gansu Province on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” He was subsequently sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, with his sentence running until September 18, 2027. He is currently serving his sentence at Wudu Prison in Gansu Province. He had previously been sentenced to prison twice and served three and a half years.

Long Kehai’s biography: Born on June 1, 1966, also known as Long Kehai, he is from Jialing Village, Jialing Township, Huixian County, Gansu Province. He is a human rights defender, a Christian, a permanent resident of Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, and a political prisoner. Because of his active participation in and speech within civic circles, he was repeatedly “invited for tea” and warned by police.

On March 4, 2019, Long Kehai was arrested by police in Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” and was subsequently sentenced to one and a half years in prison. After being released on September 20, 2020, Long Kehai still did not have freedom of movement, and his words and actions were monitored by state security police.

On June 25, 2022, Long Kehai traveled from Longnan, Gansu, to Chengdu to seek commitment to the Early Rain Covenant Church. While he was waiting to transfer his church membership, he was taken back to his hometown by state security officers from his home area in Gansu and then lost contact with others. On June 26, a Christian from the Early Rain Covenant Church called the state security officer responsible for Long Kehai and learned that Long Kehai had been administratively detained. On July 30 of that year, Long Kehai was arrested again by the Huixian County police in Gansu Province on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” because of his attention to the Chang Weiping case, and was subsequently sentenced to two years in prison.

Long Kehai was released after completing his sentence on July 29, 2024, and in January 2025 transferred his church membership to the Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church, becoming a member of the church. His arrest in March this year was the third time in nearly six years that Long Kehai had been detained under the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”

The trial in Long Kehai’s case was held in closed session at 9 a.m. on June 24, 2025. It was learned in July 2025 that he had been sentenced to 2 years and 6 months, with his sentence running until September 18, 2027. Long Kehai has been transferred to Wudu Prison in Liangshui Town, Wudu District, Longnan City, Gansu Province, to serve his sentence.