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Zhejiang independent writer Zan Aizong, sentenced to 3 years for holding a sea memorial for Liu Xiaobo, transferred to Hangzhou Dongjiao Prison to serve his sentence
Zan Aizong, a Zhejiang independent writer, was transferred on May 14, 2026, from Hangzhou’s Gongshu District Detention Center to Hangzhou Dongjiao Prison to serve a three-year sentence for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” He was detained after participating in a July 13, 2024, sea memorial for Liu Xiaobo at the Qiantang River mouth. His sentence ends July 19, 2027.Three People, Including Yu Shaolin, Li Qun and Luo Ping, in the Kunming Shijixincheng Church Case Have Been Formally Arrested
Authorities raided Shijixincheng Church during a Sunday gathering in Kunming, Yunnan, on April 12, 2026, and detained Yu Shaolin, Li Qun and Luo Ping. The three were formally arrested on May 20 on charges of organizing illegal gatherings and are held at Guandu District Detention Center. The approximately 30-member church has sought prayer and legal assistance. Yu, 52, has multiple serious health conditions.Renowned human rights defender Xu Qin continues to seek redress over pension; recently sues Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court
On July 16, 2026, the Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that human rights defender Xu Qin filed a leapfrog administrative lawsuit with the Beijing Higher People’s Court after the Gaoyou Social Security Center reclaimed four years of pension payments withheld during her imprisonment. She challenged two Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security notification letters and accused the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court of failing to docket or formally reject her case.The Case of the “Wheat Seed Reformed Church” in Fuyang, Anhui, Has Been Postponed Again
On July 16, 2026, the Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that proceedings against Zhang Sen, pastor of Fuyang’s Wheat Seed Reformed Church in Anhui, had been postponed again for three months for “supplementary investigation.” His wife, Xu Chao, questioned the legal basis after the case had twice been returned and prosecutors had decided to prosecute. Zhang, arrested in July 2025, remains detained at Fuyang City Detention Center.Jiangsu Zhenjiang rights defender Ma Yuzhen detained by police after taking her child to Beidaihe for tourism
On July 15, 2026, Ma Yuzhen and her 12-year-old son were stopped at Yanjiao Railway Station and later detained for nearly five hours at a Beidaihe railway-station inspection post after facial verification identified them. Personnel from the Jiangsu Office in Beijing then took them away and returned them to Yanjiao. The report says they had also been stopped and returned during a previous trip to Shanhaiguan.Case Details and Biography of Ms. Wang Lihua, a 73-Year-Old Falun Gong Practitioner from Jiangnan District, Jilin City, Sentenced to One Year
Wang Lihua, a 73-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Jiangnan District, Jilin City, was arrested on June 4, 2023, while reading Falun Gong books with three others. After hospitalization and release on bail, she was sentenced to one year following a non-public Changyi District Court hearing on May 22, 2024, and remained on medical parole. Police detained her again on June 13, 2026; her condition reportedly deteriorated, with her sentence running until June 2027.Retired Zhuozhou, Hebei, employee Jia Fengxian recently prevails in case over “clawback” of pension payments: Zhuozhou court rules lawsuit by Zhuozhou Social Insurance Affairs Center unfounded and dismisses it
On June 25, 2026, the Zhuozhou court dismissed a lawsuit by the Zhuozhou Social Insurance Affairs Center seeking 480,000 yuan from retired employee Jia Fengxian in allegedly overpaid pensions. The court ruled the center and Jia were not equal civil subjects and the lawsuit lacked legal basis. The center had withheld her pension and sealed commercial property. As of the report, it had not appealed.Prayer Letter from Pastor Wang Lin’s Wife, Sister Su Ziming: Let Us Cry Out Together Until the Walls Fall Down!
In a July 13, 2026 letter, Su Ziming said nine fellow believers were released on June 18 and Pastor Jin Mingri was released and sent to the United States on July 3 after eight years apart from his family. She said eight others, including her husband, Pastor Wang Lin, remained detained in the Beihai case. Su alleged inconsistent charges and called for their immediate release, urging supporters to pray, speak out and share the letter.Mr. Benny Tai, sentenced to 10 years in Hong Kong’s 47-person case, spends his 62nd birthday in prison
Benny Tai, a Hong Kong legal scholar and former associate dean of the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Law, spent his 62nd birthday on July 12, 2026, in prison. He was arrested in January 2021 in the Hong Kong 47-person case and sentenced on November 19, 2024, to 10 years for conspiracy to subvert state power. He is serving his sentence at Shek Pik Prison on Lantau Island.Prominent Human Rights Defender and Citizen Journalist Zhang Zhan Receives Liu Xiaobo Human Rights Award in Prison; Writer Yan Geling Accepts Award on Her Behalf
Zhang Zhan, a Chinese citizen journalist and human rights defender, received the inaugural Liu Xiaobo Human Rights Award while imprisoned, with writer Yan Geling accepting it on her behalf at a July 13, 2026, ceremony in Leipzig, Germany. The report says Zhang was sentenced to four years on September 19, 2025, and faces rejected lawyer visits, poor health, force-feeding and possible abuse in Shanghai Women’s Prison.Li Qiaochu: Where do Xu Zhiyong’s and my marriage application procedures stand? On-site file review and hearing of opinions in the administrative reconsideration
On June 2, 2026, Li Qiaochu sought administrative reconsideration over the Shandong Prison Administration’s failure to act on a marriage application. After receiving no notice, she and attorney Zhang Lei went to Jinan on July 6, where officials confirmed the case was deemed accepted, provided case number (2026) 1364, allowed photographs of the respondent’s 19-page reply and recorded their opinions. Li submitted an opinion letter and supplementary materials on July 7.Case and biography of Huang Jinc, former chairman of the Hong Kong Independence Party, sentenced to five years
Huang Jinc, born in 1983, is a Hong Kong- and Portuguese national and former chairman of the Hong Kong Independence Party, registered in England in 2015 and dissolved in 2018. He returned to Hong Kong in October 2022 and was arrested in November. Convicted on February 27, 2024, of conspiracy to incite secession under Article 21 of the Hong Kong National Security Law, he was sentenced to five years on April 11. His appeal was dismissed in September 2025.Ren Zhong, husband of Wang Cong, a pastor at Beijing Zion Church and victim of the Zion Church 10/9 case, goes today to the Yinhai District People's Procuratorate in Beihai to submit an application to drop the case
On July 13, 2026, Ren Zhong, husband of Beijing Zion Church pastor Wang Cong, submitted an application to the Yinhai District People’s Procuratorate in Beihai seeking dismissal of the case and withdrawal of accusations against her. He said one person had been released while eight remained detained. Wang was arrested on October 10, 2025, and formally arrested in November on suspicion of “illegally using an information network.” She is held at Beihai No. 1 Detention Center.Rights Defense Network: “I Have No Enemies, and No Hatred” — Commemorating the Ninth Anniversary of the Death of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo
The article commemorates Liu Xiaobo, who died on July 13, 2017, and highlights his statement, “I have no enemies, and no hatred.” It describes his commitment to peace, reason, dialogue, human dignity and nonviolence, including during imprisonment and serious illness. It also identifies him as a principal drafter of Charter 08, which advocated constitutional government, rule of law, human rights, civil liberties, democratic elections and judicial independence.The So-Called “Principal Offender” in the Zion Church Case, Kim Myung-il, Released Without Charge to the United States; Father of Pastor Gao Yingjia, a Co-Defendant in the Case, Went to Beihai to Demand Its Dismissal
The report says Kim Myung-il, founder and senior pastor of Zion Church, was released without charge to the United States on July 3, 2026, after Trump raised his release at a Trump-Xi meeting. Gao Yingjia’s father reportedly faced repeated obstruction while seeking dismissal of the case. Gao, arrested in October 2025, remains detained with other Zion Church pastors and workers at Beihai No. 2 Detention Center.Letter of Demand Regarding the Failure of the Shanghai Jing'an District People's Court to File Within the Statutory Period Feng Zhenghu's Lawsuit Against the Shanghai Branch of the People's Bank of China Concerning Alipay's Illegal Conduct | Example
Feng Zhenghu demanded that the Shanghai Jing’an District People’s Court process his administrative lawsuit, mailed on March 29, 2026, within seven days. He challenges the Shanghai Branch of the People’s Bank of China’s December 5, 2025 reply concerning Alipay and the People’s Bank of China’s February 26, 2026 reconsideration decision. He alleges Alipay unlawfully froze RMB 9,342.31 from 2013 to February 2021 and seeks filing, or a reasoned refusal.The Case of Gansu Public Welfare Activist Jing Shuren, Arrested for Reposting on Weibo Content Related to Migrant Workers Seeking Wage Arrears, Will Open on July 20, 2026
Gansu public welfare activist Jing Shuren, arrested for reposting Weibo content about migrant workers seeking wage arrears, will stand trial on July 20, 2026, at the First Trial Courtroom of Lanzhou’s Chengguan District Court, according to information learned on July 12. Criminally detained on March 16, 2024, on suspicion of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, he remains held at the Lanzhou No. 1 Detention Center.China Human Rights Lawyers Group: Special Feature for the 11th Anniversary of 709 — The Year of 709 Iconic Figure Lawyer Zhou Shifeng
The China Human Rights Lawyers Group said lawyer Zhou Shifeng’s fifth WeChat account was permanently banned on July 2, 2026, after earlier bans and unsuccessful legal challenges involving Tencent. It also described alleged surveillance and restrictions on Zhou since his release from prison in 2022, including the prevention of a meeting with Yu Wensheng. The group said Zhou continued reporting alleged influence of Sun Lijun and Fu Zhenghua and supporting other rights advocates.Macau’s First National Security Case: Pre-trial Review Completed in Case of Former Macau Legislative Assembly Member and Core Pro-democracy Figure Au Kam San
The Court of First Instance of the Macao SAR completed the pre-trial review in the Au Kam San case on July 2, 2026, upheld the prosecution’s charges and will schedule a trial. Au was arrested on July 30, 2025, under Macau’s National Security Law and charged with three offenses, including “subversion of state power,” carrying a maximum sentence of 25 years. He remains detained at the Macau Detention Centre.Shanghai Human Rights Defender Ji Xiaolong Spends His 50th Birthday in Prison
Human rights defender Ji Xiaolong turned 50 on July 10, 2026. From Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province, he launched the “Toilet Revolution” in 2018 and was sentenced to three years and six months in prison. After criticizing Shanghai’s COVID-19 lockdown measures and petitioning Li Qiang to resign in 2022, he was sentenced in 2023 to four years and six months for picking quarrels and provoking trouble. He is serving his sentence at Tilanqiao Prison in Shanghai, due for release on February 28, 2027.Rights Defense Commentary: The Crisis of “Freedom of Religion” in China—The Frightening Trend of “Stigmatizing” House Churches!
The article says Chinese house churches face growing restrictions and stigmatization, with authorities allegedly labeling non–Three-Self congregations as cults or prosecuting leaders under charges including illegal business operations, fraud, cybercrime, and disturbing social order. It cites the South China Church case, including a 2002 retrial judgment that avoided the cult charge. The article calls for international churches and communities to support China’s religious freedom and human rights.Holding Fast to the Faint Light of the Rule of Law, Defending the Dignity of the Defense: Public Statement by Lawyers of the China Human Rights Lawyers Group on the 11th Anniversary of the “709 Crackdown” and on the Professional Circumstances of Human Rights Lawyers
On July 9, 2026, the China Human Rights Lawyers Group marked the 11th anniversary of China’s “709 crackdown,” citing continued surveillance, social isolation, harsh criminal measures and pressure on defense lawyers. It highlighted cases involving Wang Quanzhang, Xie Yang, Yu Kai and the Beijing Zion Church defense team, and praised Yang Jing’s legal efforts. The group called for restoring lawyers’ rights, ending extralegal monitoring and reducing criminal coercion.Case Details and Biography of Chen Qing, a Falun Gong Practitioner from Mian County, Shaanxi, Sentenced to 3 Years and 6 Months
On July 11, 2026, the Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that Chen Qing, a Falun Gong practitioner in his 60s from Mian County, Shaanxi, disappeared in July 2024 and was later confirmed arrested by Mian County police. The report said he was sentenced to three years and six months and secretly imprisoned in Weinan Prison by the end of 2025. His sentence ends in January 2028.Beijing Resident and Independent Film Director Zhang Peng Criminally Detained on Suspicion of Picking Quarrels and Provoking Trouble
On July 11, 2026, the outlet reported that police took Zhang Peng, who uses the online name Zhang Neixian, from his home on the Tsinghua University campus around 11 p.m. on July 1. A detention notice says Zhang, born October 12, 1986, was criminally detained at 8 p.m. on July 2 on suspicion of picking quarrels and provoking trouble and is held at Haidian District Detention Center.Urgent Attention: Human Rights Lawyer Wen Donghai Taken Under Control by Court Police at Guangxi’s Gongcheng Court and Subsequently Loses Contact
On July 10, 2026, human rights lawyer Wen Donghai was reportedly taken away by more than 10 Gongcheng Court police officers while visiting the court in Guangxi to assist another lawyer. His whereabouts remained unknown, and calls to his phone went unanswered. An article he posted commemorating the 11th anniversary of the “709” crackdown was blocked the following morning. Rights activist Xie Wenfei urged attention to the incident.
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