Hunan Zhuzhou self-media writer Yin Jiangen, arrested across provincial borders for his words, to receive first-instance verdict in Anhui’s Hexian County Court on August 6, 2026

(Rights Defense Network Information Center report) On August 3, 2026, this outlet learned that the case of Yin Jiangen, a self-media writer from Zhuzhou, Hunan, who was arrested across provincial borders for his words, will receive a first-instance verdict at the Hexian County Court in Anhui Province on August 6, 2026.

On August 11, 2025, he 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 Province; in February 2026, his case went to trial, but no verdict was announced in court.

All the charges in the case against Yin Jiangen for his speech concern more than 450 pieces of content that Yin Jiangen published on WeChat public accounts under the names “Sunlight Beneath the Plough” and “That Ray of Light in Spring,” criticizing and overseeing certain village and community Party secretaries, subdistrict offices, government departments, public security organs, and courts.”

Yin Jiangen’s biography: Born in 1965, a native of Hunan Province, he lives in the Guihua residential community in Hetang Town, Zhuzhou City. He is a self-media writer, and the name of his Weibo public-account blog is “Sunlight Beneath the Plough”; he is a rule-of-law online reporter, a citizen defending rights, and a political prisoner detained in China.

Because he is upright and has long been committed to focusing on issues concerning ordinary people’s livelihoods, with the emergence and development of Generation Z (also known as the “net generation” and the “Internet generation”), he began creating self-media platforms to expose current problems, and often wrote articles to speak out on behalf of many disadvantaged rights-defense groups seeking help;

On August 11, 2025, he published on a self-media platform an article entitled “Anhui Hexian Again Sees Shandong Pingdu’s ‘Wang Li Secretary Version’; Compared with Her, Secretary Liu Ying Is ‘Even Better.’” The article contained critical remarks about Liu Ying, Party secretary of Liyang Town, Hexian County, Anhui Province. 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. He was subsequently taken away by Hexian police and lost contact with the outside world. After his family and friends (including concerned netizens) made inquiries through various channels, they 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 under the pen name “Sunlight Beneath the Plough” to report online on the case of Hexian petitioner Chen Dezhen’s “rights defense over the debt for bricks from the Second Kiln Factory,” and speaking out to clear Chen’s name and defend his rights. Chen was originally a law-abiding farmer from Hexian County, Anhui, who became involved in a debt dispute in 1995 over 90,000 red bricks with the local Second Kiln Factory. However, the local Liyang Town government illegally transferred the creditor’s rights to a rubber company, forcing Chen to defend his rights for an extended period. In 2021, Chen finally reached a brick-payment compensation agreement with the local town government, but afterward the town government reneged and failed to pay. Chen then traveled to Beijing to petition and was sentenced to one year. After his release, Chen posted on Weibo alleging that local government official Liu Ying had made a false police report, and 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 Chen Dezhen’s home county of Hexian, Anhui Province;

On September 3, 2025, his defense lawyer met with him at the Hexian County Detention Center. With his consent, the lawyer submitted to the police and the local procuratorate an application for release on bail pending trial, an application for a request to designate jurisdiction, and an application 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 Province on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” During his detention, after reviewing the case files at the Hexian County Procuratorate, the lawyer met with him. He said that he had been subjected to prolonged interrogation by case-handling personnel and had been required to confess his guilt. 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 sent a letter 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 in accordance with the law. He is currently detained at the Hexian County Detention Center in Anhui Province.

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