The second-instance trial of the case of Hunan Zhuzhou self-media figure Yin Jiangen, sentenced to 2 years and 3 months at first instance, was heard at the Hexian County Court in Anhui on September 10; no verdict was announced in court

(Rights Defense Network Information Center report) On September 11, 2026, this outlet learned that Yin Jiangen, a self-media figure from Zhuzhou, Hunan, was sentenced at first instance to 2 years and 3 months by the Hexian County Court in Anhui on August 6, 2026, for his speech. Yin Jiangen, dissatisfied with the verdict, filed an appeal in accordance with the law. The second-instance trial was publicly heard at 9 a.m. on September 10 in the Second Courtroom of the Hexian County Court. According to his defense lawyer, Zhang Tingyuan, the lawyer argued for Yin Jiangen’s acquittal during the hearing. The presiding judge announced that the verdict in the second instance would be issued at a later date, citing the case as “major and complex.”

On August 11, 2025, Yin Jiangen was arrested across provincial borders by Hexian police from Zhuzhou, Hunan, for publishing an article criticizing the Party secretary of Liyang Town, Hexian County, Anhui; in February 2026, his case was heard, but no verdict was announced in court. On August 6, Yin Jiangen was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months. Dissatisfied with the verdict, he filed an appeal in accordance with the law.

Yin Jiangen’s profile: Born in 1965, a native of Hunan Province, residing in the Guihua Community of Hetang Town, Zhuzhou City; self-media figure; blogger whose Weibo public account is named “Sunshine Beneath the Plow”; legal affairs online reporter; rights-defending citizen; political prisoner detained in China.

Because he is upright and has long been committed to following issues concerning ordinary people’s livelihoods, with the emergence and development of Generation Z (also known as the “digital-native generation” and the “Internet generation”), he began creating self-media platforms to expose current abuses and frequently wrote articles to speak out for many vulnerable rights-defending groups in need of help;

On August 11, 2025, he published on a self-media platform an article titled “Anhui’s Hexian County Once Again Sees Shandong Pingdu’s ‘Wang Li Secretary Version’; Compared with Her, Secretary Liu Ying Is ‘Even Better,’” which contained critical remarks about Liu Ying, Party secretary of Liyang Town, Hexian County, Anhui. As a result, police from Hexian County, Ma’anshan City, Anhui Province, crossed provincial borders and came to the residential community where he lived in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, forcibly demanding that he delete the post; he refused, after which he was taken away by Hexian police and became unreachable. His family and friends (including concerned netizens) made inquiries through various channels and finally learned 20 days later that he had been criminally detained by the Hexian police of Ma’anshan City on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” and was being held at the Hexian County Detention Center;

It is said that his arrest was related to his repeatedly writing and reporting online under the pen name “Sunshine Beneath the Plow” about the “rights defense over the Second Brick Kiln’s unpaid brick payments” incident involving petitioner Chen Dezhen from Hexian County, Anhui, and speaking out on Chen’s behalf to seek redress and defend his rights. Chen had originally been a law-abiding farmer from Hexian County, Anhui, but solely because a debt dispute arose in 1995 over 90,000 red bricks from the local Second Brick Kiln, the local Liyang Town government illegally transferred the creditor’s rights to a rubber company, forcing Chen to pursue his rights for a long time. In 2021, Chen finally reached an agreement with the local town government on compensation for the brick payments, but the town government later reneged and failed to pay. Chen therefore went to Beijing to petition and was sentenced to one year. After his release, Chen posted on Weibo that local government official Liu Ying had made a false police report, and he was again administratively detained by police for 18 days. Deeply saddened and angered by the injustice of Chen’s experience, he wrote articles to help him and call for support, but unexpectedly this led to pressure and warnings from the authorities in Hexian County, Anhui, where Chen Dezhen lived;

On September 3, 2025, his defense lawyer met with him at the Hexian County Detention Center and, with his consent, submitted to the police and the local procuratorate applications for release on bail pending trial, for a designated-jurisdiction request, and for supervision of the decision not to approve his arrest, but all were rejected. On September 15, 2025, he was formally arrested by the Hexian County Procuratorate of Anhui on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” During his detention, the lawyer reviewed the case files at the Hexian County Procuratorate and then met with him. He said that he had been subjected to prolonged interrogation by case-handling personnel and that they had demanded that he confess. In mid-December 2025, the case was transferred to the Hexian County Procuratorate for review and prosecution. After learning of the above circumstances, dozens of netizens launched a joint petition and wrote to the Hexian County People’s Procuratorate, requesting that it conduct a strict, lawful, independent, objective, and impartial review and make a decision not to prosecute him. Hunan Zhuzhou self-media figure Yin Jiangen Yin Jiangen was sentenced at first instance to 2 years and 3 months by the Hexian County Court in Anhui on August 6, 2026. He is currently detained at the Hexian County Detention Center in Anhui. His sentence ends on: November 10, 2027.

This outlet will continue to follow developments in the case of Yin Jiangen.