Hubei Chibi democracy activist Chen Jianxiong, sentenced to 4 years, released after completing his sentence today

(Rights Defense Network Information Center report) On April 11, 2026, this website learned that Chen Jianxiong (real name Chen Jinxin), a democracy activist from Chibi, Hubei Province, who was sentenced to four years in prison, was released today after completing his sentence and has returned home. This is the third time he has been arrested and sentenced.

Biography of Chen Jianxiong (real name Chen Jinxin): Born in 1974, he is from Chibi, Hubei Province. His online name is Chen Jianxiong; he is one of the “Five Gentlemen of Chibi,” a practitioner of the Southern Street Movement, a democracy and rights-defense citizen, and a political prisoner.

Since 2013, he has repeatedly participated in public solidarity activities in China, courageously holding signs and unfurling banners many times to express political demands for democratic constitutional government. He is one of the outstanding representatives of the Southern Street Movement and has consequently been repeatedly subjected to detention, criminal detention, torture and forced expulsion by the Chinese Communist Party’s police;

On May 25, 2013, he was criminally detained by local police on the grounds of “inciting subversion of state power” for publicizing democratic politics in Chibi, Hubei Province, together with democracy and rights defenders Yuan Xiaohua, Yuan Fengchu, Huang Wenxun and others. He was released on bail on July 13;

On September 30, 2013, he and democracy and rights defender Xie Wenfei held a banner on the streets of Foshan, Guangdong Province, demanding the “abolition of one-party dictatorship and establishment of a democratic China.” He was again criminally detained by Foshan police on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power” and held at the Tianhe District Detention Center, where he was subjected to severe torture. He was released on bail on October 30; in February 2014, he traveled to Qufu to investigate the truth after joining an observation group concerning the unnatural death of Xue Fushun in Qufu, Shandong Province, and was repeatedly beaten and expelled by police in Qufu;

In March 2014, he was administratively detained for 15 days by local authorities for going to Heilongjiang Province to support the “Jiansanjiang lawyers detained incident”;

In May 2014, after going to Wuhan to meet Buddhist monk Xu Zhiqiang with several friends, he was taken away by Wuhan police and again criminally detained on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power.” He was released on bail on May 17;

In July 2014, he again traveled to Zhengzhou, Henan, to participate in citizens’ support for the “Zhengzhou Ten Gentlemen incident,” and went to Jiaozuo, Henan, to support the “Zhang Xiaoyu couple police-killing incident.” As a result, he was taken away by police near Zhengzhou No. 3 Detention Center on August 1, 2014, and the Chibi, Hubei, police directly submitted his case to the procuratorate and arrested him on suspicion of “the crime of disrupting public order.” He was detained at the Chibi City Detention Center;

On December 16, 2016, he was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison by the Chibi City Court of Xianning, Hubei Province, for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”;

On December 31, 2016, he was released after completing his sentence. After his release, his determination to pursue democracy grew even stronger;

On September 29, 2017, after he and rights-defense friends Yuan Bing and Liang Yiming went to the State Security Brigade of the Chibi City Public Security Bureau to complain about being placed under long-term surveillance and harassed after his release, the two sides ultimately parted on bad terms because of differing views and heated argument. On October 3, he was again arrested and criminally detained by Chibi police on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” On November 8, 2017, he was formally arrested by the Chibi City Procuratorate and detained at Chibi Detention Center. On August 12, 2019, he was finally sentenced at first instance by the Chibi City Court of Hubei Province to three years and six months in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” He appealed the verdict. On October 28, 2019, the Xianning Intermediate Court upheld the original judgment in its second-instance ruling. On April 2, 2021, he was released after completing his sentence. Before that, he had served his sentence at Xianning Prison in Hubei Province.

Chen Jianxiong was again criminally detained by local police on April 12, 2022, and was later arrested on the charge of picking quarrels and provoking trouble. He was subsequently prosecuted, and his trial was held on June 9, 2023, without a verdict being issued. On April 8, 2024, he was sentenced to four years in prison, with his sentence running until April 11, 2026. He was previously detained at the Chibi City Detention Center in Hubei and was transferred to Xianning Prison in Hubei Province on July 24, 2024, to serve his sentence until his release upon completion.