Hubei democracy activist Liu Jiacai, whose situation remains unknown more than four years after his arrest, spends his 61st birthday in prison

(Rights Defense Network Information Center report) On October 27, 2026, this outlet learned that Hubei democracy activist Liu Jiacai, whose situation has remained unknown since he was arrested by police more than four years ago, spent his sixtieth birthday in prison yesterday.

More than four years ago, on the morning of September 23, 2022, Liu Jiacai told a friend that his former employer, Gezhouba Group, had asked him to return to handle something. He was arrested as a result. Because his family has been threatened, there has been no information about him in prison.

Liu Jiacai was last sentenced to five years. After his release in 2018, he worked for a time as a supervisor at a company in Dongguan. Later, Yichang state security officers required him to return to Yichang to work.

Liu Jiacai’s résumé: Born on October 26, 1965, in Yichang, Hubei Province; former employee of Yichang’s Gezhouba Group; former engineer at an engineering supervision company in Yunnan Province; democracy and rights activist; political prisoner.

From 1998 to 2000, in response to the unlawful infringement of the legal rights of laid-off workers at Hubei Gezhouba and other issues, he actively initiated and organized an independent trade union to defend the vital interests of thousands of laid-off workers, and led a campaign to defend education funding and fight corruption at Gezhouba Group. He was arrested by police in Yichang, Hubei Province, and in 2001 was sentenced to two years’ probation and deprived of political rights for two years on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power.”

After his release, he went to Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, to seek work and served as a supervision engineer at an engineering supervision company. However, in his spare time he continued to uphold democratic ideals and was active in the online democracy movement. As a result, he was repeatedly threatened, warned, and summoned by Yunnan police.

On August 2, 2013, he was again detained, this time for 10 days under administrative detention by local police on suspicion of “disturbing public order,” for taking part in democracy and rights activities and the “Same-City Dinner Party” activity initiated by rights activists, and for reposting on Tencent Weibo, Sina Weibo, and QQ the “Li Xiangyang Revenge and Bloodbath Announcement (and Recruitment of Suicide Squad Members),” among other items. He was later transferred to criminal detention on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power” and held at the Yichang No. 1 Detention Center in Hubei Province.

On September 18, 2013, the charge was changed again, and he was formally arrested on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”

On May 11, 2015, the Yichang Intermediate People’s Court in Hubei Province sentenced him to five years in prison and deprived him of political rights for three years on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power.” He appealed. On December 2, 2015, the Hubei Higher People’s Court upheld the original judgment in its second-instance ruling. He was released after completing his sentence on August 11, 2018. He had previously served his sentence at Hanjin Prison in Hubei Province. He was arrested again on September 23, 2022. Because his family has been threatened, there has been no information about him for more than four years.

This outlet will continue to follow Mr. Liu Jiacai’s situation.