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Case details and biography of Ms. Jiang Chengliang, an 84-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Jiulongpo District, Chongqing, sentenced to 1 year and 3 months
A report published October 12, 2026, said Jiang Chengliang, an 84-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Jiulongpo District, Chongqing, distributed Falun Gong materials in 2024 and was reported. Police repeatedly visited her home for more than a year. The Jiulongpo District Court sentenced her to six months in early 2026, to be served outside prison. Tried again on May 12, she was sentenced to one year and three months on June 4 and detained. Her sentence is due to end August 11, 2027.Case of Wuhan Human Rights Defender Zhang Yi Transferred to Procuratorate for Review and Prosecution
A report dated October 12, 2026, said Wuhan human rights defender Zhang Yi’s case was transferred to the procuratorate on October 8 for review and prosecution. Held at Lhasa City Detention Center after his July arrest over showing a photograph of the Dalai Lama, he experienced severe high blood pressure and fainting but is temporarily stable. His family deposited money, but he spent only 500 yuan in three months. Zhang was previously imprisoned for two years after participating in the 1989 democracy movement.Three Years Since Zeng Yuxuan, a Hong Kong Chinese University law doctoral student sentenced to six months by Hong Kong authorities, Was Forcibly Disappeared After Being Sent to Mainland China
Rights Defense Network said October 12, 2026, marked three years since Zeng Yuxuan, a former law doctoral student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, went missing after being deported to mainland China. Arrested on June 2, 2023, over a planned banner marking the June Fourth anniversary, she was sentenced to six months for “incitement.” The network called for her release and urged continued international attention; her mother also lost contact with the outside world.Case Details and Biography of Ms. Xu Nixia, a 69-Year-Old Shanghai Falun Gong Practitioner Sentenced to 2 Years
Xu Nixia, a 69-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Shanghai, was arrested on May 13, 2025, and held at Baoshan Detention Center. The report says she had previously been detained multiple times and served seven years in prison after two sentences. On October 9, 2026, Jing’an District Court sentenced her to two years in prison and fined her 15,000 yuan. Xu has appealed.Case Details and Biography of Wu Xi, a Falun Gong Practitioner from Fangzheng County, Heilongjiang, Sentenced to 2 Years
A Rights Defense Network Information Center report says Wu Xi, a Falun Gong practitioner from Fangzheng County, Heilongjiang, was sentenced to two years by Boli County Court and is held at Songbin Prison in Harbin. Arrested on December 4, 2025, she was transferred from Harbin to Boli County. The report also says she previously received sentences of 1.5, three and 3.5 years, and was tortured in prison. Her current sentence ends December 3, 2027.Case Details and Biography of Ms. Zheng Yufang, a Falun Gong Practitioner from Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, Sentenced to 1 Year and 10 Months
A Weiquanwang Information Center report said Zheng Yufang, also known as Zheng Lihui, is a Falun Gong practitioner from Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. After a security guard reported her for distributing Falun Gong materials on April 15, 2026, she was arrested on April 17 and held at the Songshan District Detention Center. She appeared at Songshan District Court on August 13 and was sentenced in October to 1 year and 10 months in prison and fined 5,000 yuan. Her sentence ends February 16, 2028.Case Details and Profile of Gansu Rights Defender Zhou Lubao, Sentenced to 14 Years
Zhou Lubao, a Gansu rights defender born in 1985, was sentenced at first instance in late September 2026 to 14 years in prison and fined 120,000 yuan for picking quarrels and provoking trouble and extortion. He was detained in March 2024 after publishing more than 25 Sina Weibo posts, dozens of which reposted migrant workers’ messages seeking unpaid wages, and formally arrested on April 3. All seven defendants denied the charges and said they would appeal; Zhou’s sentence runs until March 2038.Two Years Since the Arrest of Hunan Human Rights Defender Li Yuanfeng
Li Yuanfeng, originally named Li Weizhong, is an independent journalist from Hunan who has focused on labor rights and rights-defense cases. Police took him away on October 10, 2024. He was administratively detained for 15 days, then criminally detained on suspicion of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, before being placed under residential surveillance on suspicion of inciting subversion. He has stood trial and told the court his publications and online comments were exercises of free speech.Wuxi Xinwu District petitioner Zou Xiaoyan forcibly returned from Beijing by police and detained at home, deprived of her personal freedom
The Rights Defence Network Information Center reported that Wuxi petitioner Zou Xiaoyan was intercepted in Beijing on October 7, 2026, and returned to Wuxi for allegedly leaving the city while on bail pending trial. After arriving home on October 8, she was reportedly detained under round-the-clock surveillance. She had travelled to seek redress over an attempted storefront demolition and alleged slapping by Beijing liaison office staff. The report says more than 200 Wuxi rights defenders have faced criminal cases without facts constituting crimes.Wuxi Human Rights Defender Shen Aibin Appeals 15-Day Liangxi Police Detention; Wuxi Intermediate Court Issues Perverse Judgment Without a Hearing
The report says Wuxi Intermediate People’s Court dismissed Shen Aibin’s appeal and upheld his 15-day administrative detention, issuing its October 2, 2026 judgment without a hearing. Shen was detained in July 2025 over WeChat posts that Liangxi police said spread false information. In his appeal, he challenged the evidence, procedures and police jurisdiction. The report says he is now on bail pending trial in a criminal case opened by Wuxi police.Former Hong Kong Alliance Chair Lee Cheuk-yan Appeals Conviction and Sentence
According to the Hong Kong Judiciary website, former Hong Kong Alliance chair Lee Cheuk-yan has appealed his conviction and sentence for inciting subversion of state power. As of October 9, 2026, a hearing date had not been set; co-defendant Chow Hang-tung had previously appealed. Lee, Chow and Albert Ho were convicted in August and sentenced on September 11, 2026.Henan Human Rights Defender He Fangmei, Sentenced to 5 Years and 6 Months, Spends Her 41st Birthday in Prison
Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that Henan human rights defender He Fangmei spent her 41st birthday in prison on October 8, 2026, with 84 days remaining on her sentence. She was sentenced to five years and six months for bigamy and picking quarrels and provoking trouble; an appeal was rejected in January 2025. After advocating for families affected by vaccines, she was transferred to Luoyang Women’s Prison in April 2026. Her sentence ends January 1, 2027.First Anniversary of the Zion Church Case
The report said October 9, 2026, marked the first anniversary of the Zion Church case. Beginning October 9, 2025, 23 pastors and coworkers were arrested in multiple locations; 14 have since been released on bail pending trial, and one was released after prosecutors decided not to prosecute. The report said several defense lawyers faced pressure or suspensions, and Zhang Kai’s license was revoked. It called for a fair trial and said it would continue following the case.Case Details and Biography of Arrested Labor Rights Advocate Feng Rui
Feng Rui, born in 1995 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, is a labor rights advocate and editor-in-chief of the independent WeChat account “Chiapas Dongfeng Television,” using the pen name “Xiao Wu.” He was taken by police in Guangzhou’s Yuexiu District on September 14, 2026, on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” and criminally detained on September 30. His arrest may be related to a 2025 labor rights review. A lawyer has met with him; he is held at Yuexiu District Detention Center.Hong Kong 47 defendant Ventus Lau, sentenced to 4 years and 5 months, spends his 33rd birthday in prison
Ventus Lau, a defendant in the Hong Kong 47 case, turned 33 on October 8, 2026, while serving a prison sentence. He was sentenced to four years and five months for conspiracy to subvert state power over his participation in the 2020 pro-democracy primary. A separate sentence of approximately four and a half years for a riot charge runs consecutively; his term is expected to end in August 2028. He is held at Shek Pik Prison.Case Details and Biography of Liu Wenhua, a Falun Gong Practitioner from Chaoyang, Liaoning, Sentenced to 1 Year and 6 Months
A Rights Defense Network Information Center report said Liu Wenhua, a Falun Gong practitioner from Chaoyang, Liaoning, was arrested while cycling to work on March 19, 2026, and his home was searched. Police said a drone photographed him putting up Falun Gong materials at a scenic area. The Shuangta Court sentenced him to 1 year and 6 months in July 2026; he was scheduled for transfer to Shenyang Dabei Prison on October 19.Rights Defense Network “New Policies and Regulations Review”: Cyberspace Administration of China Issues the “Provisions of the State Council on Ensuring the Healthy and Safe Use of the Internet by Minors (Draft for Comments)” — Has Protecting the Young Become a Fig Leaf for Expanding Power? Internet Controls on Minors Are Eating Away at the Human Rights of All Netizens
China’s Cyberspace Administration issued a draft minors’ internet-protection regulation on September 18, 2026, seeking public comments by October 17. The draft would require platforms to identify minors and activate minor mode for users under 16, while restricting services including virtual companions and livestreaming. The commentary argues that broad implementation could undermine adults’ privacy, expression and access to information through identity checks, expanded censorship and vague rules, and calls for targeted protections in dedicated spaces.Hong Kong Prominent Human Rights Defender Chow Hang-tung, Sentenced to 7 Years and 3 Months, Appeals Conviction and Sentence
A Hong Kong court sentenced Chow Hang-tung to seven years and three months, Lee Cheuk-yan to seven years, and Albert Ho Chun-yan to five years and two months on September 11, 2026, in the Hong Kong Alliance case. The Alliance was fined HK$1.5 million. On October 5, Chow appealed her conviction and sentence for inciting subversion of state power; no hearing date has been set.Uyghur scholar and literary critic Yalqun Rozi, sentenced to 15 years, has served ten years in prison
Uyghur scholar and literary critic Yalqun Rozi was arrested on October 6, 2016, and sentenced on January 3, 2018, to 15 years in prison for charges including “inciting subversion of state power.” A former senior editor at Xinjiang Education Publishing House, he worked on Uyghur textbooks and curricula. His family has been denied visits and correspondence, and his health and place of detention are unknown; he is believed to be held at Corps Urumqi Prison.Arrested labor rights advocate Feng Rui is currently held at Guangzhou Yuexiu District Detention Center
On October 7, 2026, the Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that labor rights advocate Feng Rui, also known online as “Xiao Wu,” was being held at Guangzhou Yuexiu District Detention Center. Feng runs the WeChat account “Chiapas East Wind Television,” which focused on workers’ rights and stopped updating on September 14, 2026. A volunteer team’s “2025 Labor Rights Events” article was deleted, and news of Feng’s detention by Guangzhou police emerged on September 30.Hunan Human Rights Defender Wang Hui'an Missing; Has Been Forcibly Sent to Psychiatric Hospitals Multiple Times
On October 6, 2026, the Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that friends had been unable to contact Hunan human rights defender Wang Hui’an for several days; his whereabouts and the reason for his disappearance were unknown. Wang, also known online as Wang Feiyang, has participated in rights-defense activities across China. Police forcibly sent him to psychiatric hospitals five times from 2021 to 2026, most recently in May.Labor Rights Advocate Feng Rui Detained; Charges Remain Unclear
A report published on October 6, 2026, citing Ming Pao, said labor-rights blogger Feng Rui, known as “Xiao Wu,” had been detained and met with a lawyer; the suspected offense was unclear. Feng was reported missing on September 30, and his WeChat account, “Chiapas East Wind TV,” had stopped updating on September 14. Its 2025 labor-rights report, compiled for the fifth consecutive year, was deleted.Update on the Trial of Beijing Disabled Rights Defender Ge Zhihui in a Case of Picking Quarrels and Provoking Trouble
Ge Zhihui, a disabled rights defender from Beijing, was tried at Fengtai District Court on September 14, 2026, on a charge of picking quarrels and provoking trouble. She repeatedly sought a pause because of high blood pressure, but the judge ordered her to take medication and continued. After the court refused her family-retained lawyer, her son defended her. The hearing lasted from 8 a.m. until after 7 p.m.; some supporters were barred from observing. Ge remains detained.Rights Defense Network: Analysis of New Policies and Regulations: The State Taxation Administration Issues the National Tax Administrative Penalty Discretionary Standards (2026 Edition)—Unified Discretion Cannot Conceal the Logic of Replacing Administration with Punishment; Tax Enforcement Must Return to a Human Rights-Centered Approach
The State Taxation Administration’s 2026 discretionary standards cover 66 tax penalty matters across nine categories and list eight cases eligible for no penalty for minor violations. Effective November 1, they set five levels of discretion and supersede inconsistent local standards. The article argues that uniform rules do not address selective enforcement, may threaten businesses’ property and livelihoods, and lack safeguards for due process and proof of malicious intent.Beijing rights activist Shen Bingze detained for more than half a month over organizing civic gatherings; situation remains unclear
A Rights Defense Network Information Center report dated October 5, 2026, says Beijing rights activist Shen Bingze has been detained for more than half a month since police took him on September 18. He was reportedly detained for organizing a monthly civic gathering and photographing participants at Beijing’s Jishuitan. Police also took and questioned multiple participants on September 18 and the following two days. Shen’s situation remains unclear.
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