Renowned human rights lawyer Xie Yang, sentenced to 5 years, transferred to Chishan Prison to serve his sentence

(Rights Defense Network Information Center report) On May 29, 2026, this outlet learned that renowned human rights lawyer Xie Yang was convicted for his speech and sentenced to five years in prison by the Changsha Intermediate People’s Court on March 23, 2026, for “inciting subversion of state power.” Xie Yang later decided to waive his right to appeal. On May 20, Xie Yang was transferred to Chishan Prison to serve his sentence.

Lawyer Xie Yang’s profile: Born on February 4, 1972, a native of Changsha, Hunan Province; former lawyer at Tiandiren Law Firm and Changsha Jingyingke Law Firm; former lawyer at Hunan Gangwei Law Firm; human rights lawyer; Chinese political prisoner.

Since formally beginning legal practice in 2011, he has represented multiple rights-defense cases involving abuses of public power, including the Xue Mingkai case in Qufu County, Shandong Province; the Zhang Baocheng case in Beijing’s New Citizens Movement; the Nanle Church case in Nanle County, Henan Province; and the Zhang Kaihua land requisition case in Liuyang City, Hunan Province, and has actively followed and participated in social rights-defense movements (including visiting blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng and showing solidarity with lawyers arrested in Jiansanjiang), for which he has repeatedly faced obstruction, pressure and suppression from the judicial authorities;

On November 15, 2011, he was beaten and robbed by local criminal forces after traveling alone to Dongshigu Village, Shandong Province, to visit blind lawyer Chen Guangchen;

In August 2013, while representing a civil lending dispute and demanding the results of the collegial panel’s deliberations in order to protect his client’s interests, he was fined 50,000 yuan by the Hunan Lawyers Association and was asked by his law firm to terminate his contract and leave;

On February 13, 2014, because he was the entrusted lawyer representing the “Shandong Xue Family Murder Case,” he was taken away by authorities from the Hunan Provincial Department of Justice for a “chat over tea”; on February 20, 2014, while representing Zhang Kaihua, a land rights defender in Liuyang City, Hunan Province, he faced brutal obstruction by the local court when appearing in court; from October 2013 to May 2014, because he repeatedly represented rights-defense cases, he faced disguised suppression by the Hunan Lawyers Association, which refused to approve the procedures for transferring to another firm;

In March 2015, because he actively represented multiple forced land requisition and demolition cases in Yuhua District, Changsha City, he was illegally expelled by the local court while representing farmers from Lianhu Village in an administrative lawsuit over land requisition; on May 17, 2015, because he represented a rights-defense case involving parties at the Guangxi Nanning Beibu Gulf Building Materials Market, he was attacked with weapons by several unidentified people, suffering serious injuries and a fracture to his right leg. Although he reported the incident to the police, the local police did not respond for a long time;

On July 11, 2015, he was taken away by police in Changsha, Hunan Province, during the Chinese Communist Party’s “709 mass arrests,” and was subsequently placed under residential surveillance at a designated location on suspicion of the two offenses of “disturbing courtroom order” and “inciting subversion of state power.” His lawyers’ requests to meet with him were denied;

On January 9, 2016, he was formally arrested by Changsha police on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power”;

On May 8, 2017, his case was heard at the Changsha Intermediate People’s Court in Hunan Province. However, because he was forced to plead guilty in court and deny that he had been tortured, he was temporarily released on bail that day; on December 26 of the same year, the Changsha Intermediate People’s Court formally pronounced its judgment: he was found guilty of inciting subversion of state power but exempted from criminal punishment; although he was not sentenced to prison, he was nonetheless subjected to prolonged house arrest and close surveillance;

On January 11, 2022, Xie Yang was taken away by Changsha police and lost contact with the outside world after traveling to Yongshun County, Hunan Province, in late 2022 to show solidarity with Li Tiantian, a pregnant female teacher who had been forcibly confined in a psychiatric hospital for posting comments online. It was later learned that he had been criminally detained on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”; his residence was searched, many personal belongings were damaged, and two computers and a safe were taken away; on February 17, 2022, he was formally arrested by the Changsha Procuratorate on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power.” He was tortured in prison. Xie Yang is currently detained at Changsha No. 1 Detention Center (No. 1736 Yuanda 2, Quantang Subdistrict, Changsha County, Changsha City, Hunan Province; postal code: 410131).

On March 23, 2026, lawyer Xie Yang was sentenced to five years in prison by the Changsha Intermediate People’s Court for “inciting subversion of state power” and had 100,000 yuan in property confiscated. The reason for the judgment was certain WeChat statements made by Xie Yang. His sentence runs until January 10, 2027. On May 20, 2026, Xie Yang was transferred to Chishan Prison to serve his sentence.

This outlet will continue to follow lawyer Xie Yang’s situation.