Zhejiang independent writer Zan Aizong, sentenced to 3 years for holding a sea memorial for Liu Xiaobo, transferred to Hangzhou Dongjiao Prison to serve his sentence

（Rights Defense Network Information Center report）On July 17, 2026，this website learned：Zan Aizong, a Zhejiang independent writer sentenced to 3 years for holding a sea memorial for Liu Xiaobo, was transferred from the Gongshu District Detention Center in Hangzhou to Hangzhou Dongjiao Prison on May 14, 2026, to serve his sentence。Prison mailing address：Prison Administration Section, Hangzhou Dongjiao Prison, for delivery to Zan Aizong; Postal Code：311201。

In July 2024，Zan Aizong was arrested for participating in an event by Zhejiang citizens to hold a sea memorial for Liu Xiaobo at the mouth of the Qiantang River；in February 2026，he was sentenced to 3 years for “the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble”，with his sentence ending on：July 19, 2027。He was previously detained at the Gongshu District Detention Center in Hangzhou。

Zan Aizong’s biography：Born in October 1969，native of Taihe County, Anhui Province，a citizen of Gongshu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province，Christian，independent writer，using the online pseudonyms “Dianzhiqing”、“Aphasia Patient”、“Jiangnan Express” and others，recipient of the 2006 Lin Zhao Memorial Award，member of the Independent Chinese PEN Center（CIPC），democracy dissident，political prisoner detained in China。

Early on, he was a reporter for China Ocean News, head of its Zhejiang bureau, and a columnist for Sina.com，and was known as a freelance writer who used his real name for writing online; because he advocated free writing and such basic civic rights as press freedom, and because the scope of his writings and books he planned was extensive，he published articles in such media as Southern Weekend、China Youth Daily、Window of the South and others; but precisely because of his persistent pursuit of the ideals of freedom，he frequently expressed views on human rights issues in China，and consequently became a key object of attention by the local government and a target of stability maintenance that the authorities needed to suppress; every year when there were so-called sensitive dates of the Chinese Communist Party，such as the convening of the CCP’s “Two Sessions”、the June 4 anniversary、and the opening period of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, among others，he was either forced to travel or placed under close police surveillance for stability maintenance; from February to March 2024，because the CCP’s “Two Sessions” were about to be convened，regardless of where he was, whether at home or going to church for worship and fellowship, he was frequently harassed, questioned, and taken on forced trips by the Gongshu District police，bringing immense pressure and distress to his life，to the point that he had no choice but to issue a public statement declaring his position，saying：“I obey the law，and hope for basic freedoms and basic rights protected by law，including freedom of speech and expression、freedom of publication、freedom of belief、freedom of assembly、freedom of association, and so on，as well as respect for these freedoms。 These freedoms and rights all have boundaries，and I hope to act within the boundaries“; on July 13, 2024，because it was the seventh anniversary of the death of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo，he and seven others, including democracy activist Zou Wei，went to the mouth of the Qiantang River in Haining, Zhejiang Province, to hold a sea memorial commemorating Liu Xiaobo’s death，and posted some photographs from the event online，whereupon six of them were taken from their homes by Hangzhou police in the early hours of the following day，after five of them were admonished and had statements recorded, they were permitted to return home，but he and Zou Wei remained detained and were not released because the CCP’s Third Plenum of the 20th Central Committee was about to be held in Beijing, and they were forcibly taken on trips; after returning home，on July 20, he was again formally criminally detained by the Gongshu District police in Hangzhou on suspicion of 「the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble」 on the same day as Zou Wei because of the sea memorial; on August 29 of the same year，the two were formally arrested by approval of the Gongshu District in Hangzhou on the same charge。They were subsequently prosecuted。The case of Zou Wei and Zan Aizong was heard at 2:30 p.m. on February 13, 2026, in a court in Hangzhou, Zhejiang，with Zou Wei sentenced to 3 years and 6 months and Zan Aizong sentenced to 3 years。Sentence ending on：July 19, 2027。He was previously detained at the Gongshu District Detention Center in Hangzhou（also known as Banshan Detention Center, 342-68 Banshan Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, Postal Code：310011）。He was transferred to Hangzhou Dongjiao Prison on May 14, 2026, to serve his sentence.