Nanjing Human Rights Defender Shao Mingliang, Sentenced to 5 Years, Spends His 59th Birthday in Prison

（Rights Defense Network Information Center report）On July 2, 2026， this website learned： Nanjing human rights defender Shao Mingliang, who was sentenced to five years in prison, is spending his 59th birthday in prison today。 Shao Mingliang was convicted for his speech， was confined to his home for long periods， and was detained and forcibly committed to psychiatric hospitals multiple times； in 2019 he was sentenced to four years for picking quarrels and provoking trouble， and was tortured in prison； on September 22, 2023， he was arrested again， and on April 14, 2025， he was sentenced to five years and six months for picking quarrels and provoking trouble and assaulting police。

Profile of Shao Mingliang：Born on July 2, 1967， he is from Pukou District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province， a resident of No. 19-1, Xiangtang Village, Huaguang Community, Jiangpu Subdistrict, Pukou District, Nanjing， a dissident with a disability， founder of the “China Democratic Restoration Party”， and a Chinese political prisoner。 Because he opposes Marxism-Leninism, he has consistently and publicly opposed communism， has been subjected to extreme suppression and persecution by the Chinese Communist authorities， and has long been confined to his home in Xiangtang Village， forbidden to go out to shop or seek medical treatment, among other things；

In 2013， he was beaten by police after holding signs promoting constitutional government， democracy， freedom， and human rights at the entrance to the Nanjing Audit University, in a downtown area of Pukou District, and in front of the Pukou District government; he was subsequently forcibly sent by police to psychiatric hospitals for confinement multiple times； on January 25, 2014， he was run over across his entire body by a vehicle in front of the Pukou District government in Nanjing, with the government’s tacit approval, resulting in two years of hospitalization and permanent disability (fractures to the pelvis， sacrum， pubic bone， ribs， spine， cervical spine and sternum, as well as injuries to the head， lungs and spinal cord), leaving him able to live only with a wheelchair；

In March and June 2016， he was criminally detained twice again over anti-party statements, after which he was continuously imprisoned at home；

On October 17, 2017, he was placed under 10 days of administrative detention by Nanjing police after a search of his residence found the words “Overthrow the three mountains of communism， socialism and collectivism” and “Bring Mao, Deng, Jiang, Hu and Xi and the principal criminals of their criminal ruling group to trial” written inside, while slogans reading “The Democratic Restoration Party commemorates June 4, 1989” and “The Democratic Restoration Party is China’s own political party” were written on the front exterior wall of the house；

On March 14, 2018， during the Chinese Communist Party’s Two Sessions, he was placed under 14 days of administrative detention by Nanjing police for posting anti-party and mocking statements about the constitutional amendment, and was violently beaten by police during that period；

On March 16, 2019， he was arrested again by police in Pukou District, Nanjing, and was out of contact from that point onward； on April 22, 2019， the Pukou District Procuratorate formally approved his arrest on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” and he was detained at the Pukou District Detention Center in Nanjing. He was accused of engaging in illegal conduct because he had posted WeChat messages and dozens of tweets online concerning demands for democratic constitutional government；

On July 24, 2019， his case was heard at the Pukou District Court in Nanjing, after which he was sentenced to four years in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”； he disagreed and said he would appeal；

In January 2020， following a second-instance ruling by the Nanjing Intermediate People’s Court of Jiangsu Province, the original verdict was upheld, with his sentence running until March 15, 2023。 During Shao Mingliang’s imprisonment, one of his hands was beaten into disability。 After his release, he continued to be under close surveillance and was unable to receive medical treatment。

In the early hours of June 17, 2023， Shao Mingliang was illegally arrested and detained by the Zhujiang Police Station of the Pukou Branch, during which he was subjected to torture and abuse, but he was never subsequently given a written administrative punishment decision。 After Shao Mingliang was sent home, he remained under house arrest and surrounded at home, and no one was allowed to visit him。

On the afternoon of July 6, 2023， Shao Mingliang was unable to cook for himself because of his physical disability, so he ordered takeout online， but when the delivery worker brought the food to his door, police officers from the police station forcibly took him away, and they also smashed the doorframe of his home， ultimately leaving Shao Mingliang with no food to eat。

On September 22, 2023， Shao Mingliang was arrested again by Nanjing police and has been detained ever since. He is currently being held at the Second Detention Center of Nanjing (formed through the merger of the former Gulou District and Jianye District detention centers)， address： No. 19 Xiawei Village, Jianye District, Nanjing。

At 9 a.m. on April 14, 2025， the case of Shao Mingliang, from Nanjing, Jiangsu, who was charged with picking quarrels and provoking trouble and assaulting police, was heard at the Pukou District Court in Nanjing。 The public gallery was filled that day with people occupying seats to attend the hearing, and the defense attorney insisted on presenting a not-guilty defense for Shao Mingliang。 The collegiate panel pronounced Shao Mingliang guilty of picking quarrels and provoking trouble and assaulting police, and ordered a combined sentence of five years and six months。 His sentence runs until March 21, 2029。