Zhou Yuanzhi, independent writer and human rights defender from Zhongxiang, Hubei, who was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months for his speech, dies after an illness

(Rights Defense Network Information Center report) On October 14, 2026, this outlet learned that Zhou Yuanzhi, an independent writer and human rights defender from Zhongxiang, Hubei, who was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months for his speech, suddenly died of a heart attack today at the age of 65.

Zhou Yuanzhi’s biography: pen names Hua Liangxing and Zeng Renquan. Born on February 22, 1961. Writer, freelance contributor, and member of the Independent Chinese PEN Center. Formerly an early retiree from the Zhongxiang Municipal Local Taxation Bureau.

Because he had long written and published articles about various social issues and exposing official corruption, he was arrested in May 2008 by the Zhongxiang Municipal State Security Bureau in Hubei on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power.” After his release, Zhou Yuanzhi was placed under residential surveillance at home by the authorities for a long time. According to the Independent Chinese PEN Center’s website, he published several sensitive articles under the pen name Zeng Renquan, including “Farmers Express Their Hatred of Jiang Zemin in a Special Way” and “In the Name of the People, Keep Away from Universal Values.” On November 24, 2017, Zhou Yuanzhi was placed under criminal detention on a charge of “organizing illegal gatherings.” Earlier, Zhou Yuanzhi had been detained by the authorities for organizing petitioners to petition. He was given 15 days of administrative detention and was originally due to be released on November 25, 2017, but was not released. It was subsequently confirmed that on November 24 he had been placed under criminal detention by the Dongbao Branch of the Jingmen Public Security Bureau in Hubei on a charge of “organizing illegal gatherings.” His wife, Zhang Zhongfeng, said that because he had always been in poor health, she was very worried about his condition. At the time, he was being held at the Jingmen City Detention Center. His trial was held at the Duodao Court in Jingmen on February 21, 2019. On June 28, 2019, he was “sentenced to 2 years for organizing illegal gatherings, 3 years for online picking quarrels and provoking trouble, and 1 year and 6 months for defamation, with a combined sentence of 4 years and 6 months”; his prison term ran from November 10, 2017, to May 9, 2022. He had previously been held at Jingmen Prison in Pailou Town, Dongbao District, Jingmen, Hubei. After Zhou Yuanzhi was released from prison, he was deprived of his pension and medical benefits and suffered from illness and poverty. On October 14, 2026, Zhou Yuanzhi suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 65.