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Families of Zhang Sen, Chang Shun and Ma Tao in the Anhui Fuyang Wheat Seed Reformed Church case file a complaint over their continued inability to obtain Bibles in prison
On May 21, 2026, the families of Zhang Sen, Chang Shun and Ma Tao filed a complaint over their nearly 11-month inability to obtain Bibles while detained at the Fuyang Detention Center. A police officer reportedly ordered family members to delete photos taken outside the Fuyang Public Security Bureau. The three church leaders face charges of organizing illegal gatherings, and a pretrial conference was held May 7.Report on the Hearing in Wuxi Shen Aibin’s Lawsuit Against the Liangxi Public Security Sub-Bureau for Illegal Detention and the Administrative Reconsideration Case
On May 21, 2026, the Binhu District People’s Court heard Wuxi resident Shen Aibin’s lawsuit against the Liangxi Public Security Sub-Bureau and related administrative reconsideration case against the Liangxi District government. Shen was detained for 10 days after police in Nanjing inspected his phone and transferred him to Wuxi. He challenges the penalty’s legality, jurisdiction and procedures. The hearing ended without a verdict.Pastor Cao Sanqiang’s Prayer Letter
Pastor Cao Sanqiang says he spent seven years in prison and remains unable to return to the United States. He was recently diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and a spinal tumor after initially being treated for a foot injury at Xiangya Hospital in Hunan. After one injection and daily medication, he is scheduled to begin chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy. He asks for prayers for healing and permission to return to the United States.Pro-democracy leader Wang Bingzhang, sentenced to life imprisonment by the CCP and detained for 24 years, is still alive!
On May 21, 2026, the Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that Wang Bingzhang, 78, remains alive and imprisoned at Beijiang Prison in Shaoguan, Guangdong Province. His younger brother said the family visited him and found him in poor health, with age-related illnesses, risk of stroke, prostate disease, spleen problems and severe lower-back issues. Wang is serving a life sentence imposed in 2003 on espionage and terrorism-related charges.Ni Tengyu’s Mother: Today I Have Once Again Set Out for Guangdong
In a May 20, 2026 statement, the writer said she had again traveled to Guangdong to seek redress for her son, Ni Tengyu, despite financial and family difficulties and alleged obstruction by the Guangdong Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission, Yang Ye of Shanghai, and cooperating officials. She said she brought Ni Tengyu’s underage younger brother and would continue petitioning and speaking out until his alleged injustice was addressed.Criminal Petition Against the Third Conviction of Wuxi Human Rights Defender Shen Aibin
Shen Aibin petitioned the Wuxi People’s Procuratorate to review his conviction and appeal ruling, hold a public hearing, lodge a protest, and refer alleged judicial misconduct for investigation. He argues that the judgments wrongly convicted him of picking quarrels and provoking trouble based on information posted on overseas websites, asserting that he did not disseminate it, create disturbances, or cause serious disorder in public order.Ms. Rahile Dawut, a professor in the Chinese Department of Xinjiang University, Uyghur folklore and ethnography expert, and anthropologist sentenced to life imprisonment by the Chinese Communist authorities, spends her 60th birthday in prison
Rahile Dawut, born May 20, 1966, is a Uyghur folklore expert, anthropologist and professor at Xinjiang University. She disappeared on December 12, 2017, while traveling to Beijing after being summoned to an emergency meeting. Xinjiang authorities later detained and arrested her on suspicion of “separatism.” In December 2020, she was secretly sentenced to life imprisonment for “ethnic separatism” and other offenses and is reportedly held in Ürümqi.Li Xin (husband of He Fangmei): An account of our eight-year effort to seek redress after our child became disabled following vaccination
The parents say their child became disabled after a vaccination eight years ago and still cannot care for herself. They report that authorities refused or delayed an assessment, citing the Political and Legal Affairs Commission and an expired deadline, while appeals were treated as petitions. Both parents served prison sentences, delaying the child’s rehabilitation. They say public discussion of vaccine-related harm was suppressed and vow to continue seeking accountability.During a second search, Liangxi police in Wuxi seized Shen Aibin’s keyboard, printer, petition letters and computer as tools used to commit the crime of picking quarrels and provoking trouble
The Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that Liangxi police in Wuxi searched Shen Aibin’s residence on October 30, 2025, and again on April 16, 2026, seizing computers, printers, phones, keyboards, petition letters and case materials as alleged tools of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” The report questions the legality of the seizures and cites Criminal Law Article 293 and related judicial interpretations.[Series Report (3)] The Truth Behind the Third Conviction of Wuxi Human Rights Defender Shen Aibin: Sentenced in Defiance of the Law Despite Knowing All Statutory Elements of the Crime Were Absent
The Liangxi District Court of Wuxi sentenced Shen Aibin to three years in prison on September 20, 2023, for picking quarrels and provoking trouble; the Wuxi Intermediate People’s Court upheld the judgment on December 11, 2023. The account alleges authorities fabricated the case, despite prosecutors and the presiding judge acknowledging that Shen did not post the disputed overseas online content. Shen was released on April 30, 2025.Famous Chinese Democracy Party Member, Student Movement Leader and Rights Activist Xu Guang Released
Xu Guang, a Zhejiang Committee leader of the China Democracy Party and former 1989 Hangzhou student movement leader, was released on May 19, 2026, after completing a four-year sentence for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Prison authorities returned him home before dawn in extremely poor physical condition after a prolonged hunger strike and reported abuse. Authorities restricted friends from attending a planned welcome.Niu Tengyu’s Mother: Why Must the Perpetrators of This Wrongful Conviction Put Me to Death No Matter What?
Niu Tengyu’s mother, who lives in Jiaozuo, Henan, says her son was arrested in August 2019 and remains imprisoned. She says pandemic lockdowns prevented her from seeking help, but she later survived an assassination attempt and has faced online abuse and threats. She also says Niu’s father in Jincheng, Shanxi, was harassed, threatened and had his phone number frozen. She is calling for her son’s exoneration.Feng Zhenghu: A Question for the Rule of Law: Why Have I Applied to the Ministry of Public Security to Revoke the “Exit Restriction” Decision?
On March 17, 2026, Feng Zhenghu said he was stopped at a Chinese border checkpoint while traveling with his wife to Japan, despite holding boarding passes and valid multiple-entry visas. Authorities reportedly told him he was “restricted from leaving the country” because he “may endanger national security and interests,” without providing written grounds or a duration. Feng said he submitted an administrative reconsideration application to the Ministry of Public Security seeking revocation and disclosure of the decision.Zhejiang Hangzhou Democrat and 1989 Student Leader Xu Guang, Sentenced to Four Years, Released Today After Completing His Sentence
Xu Guang, a Zhejiang Democrat and former 1989 student leader at Hangzhou University, completed a four-year prison sentence on May 19, 2026. The Xihu District Court in Hangzhou sentenced him on April 3, 2024, for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” over online posts and videos. Xu had been detained since May 26, 2022, and began a hunger strike that day, continuing it in detention.Second-instance ruling in Zhejiang democracy activist Zou Wei’s case upholds original verdict
On May 18, 2026, an appeal by Zhejiang democracy activist Zou Wei was rejected, upholding his three-year-and-six-month prison sentence. Zou and independent writer Zan Aizong were prosecuted after holding a sea memorial ceremony for Liu Xiaobo at the Qiantang River mouth in Haining, Zhejiang, in July 2024. Zan was sentenced to three years. Zou remains detained at Hangzhou’s Gongshu District Detention Center.Administrative lawsuit filed by Jiangsu human rights defender Xu Qin against the Gaoyou municipal government and social security center over the deduction of four years of pension payments during her imprisonment to be heard at 9:30 a.m. on May 21, 2026, at the Jiangdu District Court of Yangzhou City
An administrative lawsuit filed by Jiangsu human rights defender Xu Qin against the Gaoyou municipal government and social security center over the deduction of four years of pension payments during her imprisonment will be heard at 9:30 a.m. on May 21, 2026, at the Jiangdu District Court in Yangzhou. Xu was sentenced to four years for inciting subversion on March 29, 2024, and released on July 11, 2025.[Series Report (2)] The Truth Behind the Second Conviction of Wuxi Human Rights Defender Shen Aibin: Police Fabricated an Injury Claim “Medically Ruled Out as Caused by Blows” to Frame Him
On May 25, 2017, the Huishan District Court of Wuxi sentenced Shen Aibin to two years and six months in prison for picking quarrels and provoking trouble; the Wuxi Intermediate Court upheld the judgment on July 17, 2017. The article says the case arose from a February 4, 2016 confrontation with police officer Deng Yongfeng and alleges fabricated medical evidence, a false forensic opinion and judicial misconduct.Chengdu Early Rain Church Minister Dai Zhichao Has Been Detained for Four Months; Lawyer Still Unable to Meet Him
Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church minister Dai Zhichao has been detained for four months since authorities took him from the church office on January 6, 2026, and searched his home. He is being held at Deyang City Detention Center in Sichuan Province, while his lawyer remains unable to meet him and specific charges are unclear. His wife, Lu Lingzhi, is 29 weeks pregnant and caring for their two other children.Case Details and Profile of Ms. Huang Dagui, a 72-Year-Old Falun Gong Practitioner from Guang’an, Sichuan, Sentenced to 18 Months
On May 17, 2026, the Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that Huang Dagui, a 72-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Guang’an, Sichuan, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. She was arrested in Nanchong on September 3, 2025, while distributing Falun Gong materials, and detained at Jialing District Detention Center. The Shunqing District Court held a hearing on November 16, and her sentence runs until March 2, 2027.Ms. Feng Guichun, a Falun Gong practitioner from Linyi City, Shandong Province, sentenced to 4 years, deprived of communication and shopping rights in Shandong Women’s Prison
The Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that Feng Guichun, a Falun Gong practitioner from Linyi City, Shandong Province, was sentenced to four years and fined 30,000 yuan after her August 24, 2023 arrest. Transferred to Shandong Women’s Prison in October 2024, she reportedly faced forced “transformation” and confinement. Since October 2025, the prison has allegedly denied her communication and shopping rights. Her family reported severe emaciation and loose teeth during an April 22, 2026 visit.Wang Yifei, one of the founders of the “Xinghua Association” and the “China Democratic Victory Party,” sentenced to 7 years and 6 months, has spent exactly 4 years in prison
Wang Yifei, a founder of the Xinghua Association and China Democratic Victory Party, has served four years of a seven-year-six-month sentence for subversion. Arrested in Sichuan on May 17, 2022, he was sentenced in November 2024, fined 80,000 yuan, and deprived of political rights for three years. He is held at Leimaping Prison in Sichuan Province, with his sentence ending in January 2030.Shandong human rights defender, renowned poet and writer Lu Yang (real name Zhang Guiqi), sentenced to six years, remains under close surveillance after release
Shandong human rights defender, poet and writer Lu Yang, whose real name is Zhang Guiqi, was released on May 5, 2026, after completing a six-year sentence for “inciting subversion of state power,” and returned home on May 6. He remains under close surveillance and cannot travel freely. During imprisonment, he refused to confess guilt and reportedly endured long workdays, limited spending, poor nutrition and inadequate sunlight.Famous democracy activist and human rights defender Xu Lin, sentenced to 3 years and 9 months, has been in prison for two years
The report says democracy activist and human rights defender Xu Lin was re-arrested on May 16, 2024, and sentenced by Guangzhou Nansha District Court to three years and nine months for picking quarrels and provoking trouble. Transferred to Guangdong Yingde Prison on September 11, 2025, his sentence runs until February 15, 2028. It reports severe malnutrition, weight loss, multiple health problems and inadequate medical care.A Note Without a Seal: Reflections on the Rule of Law Triggered by Feng Zhenghu’s “Three-No” Exit Ban
On March 17, 2026, police stopped retired Chinese citizen Feng Zhenghu at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport before his flight to Tokyo, citing Article 12(5) of the Exit and Entry Administration Law and saying he might endanger national security and interests. Officers provided only an unsigned note with a mobile-phone number. On April 3, Feng applied for administrative reconsideration, seeking revocation, procedural findings, records and suspension of the restriction.Case details and profile of Lü Tonggang, a Falun Gong practitioner from Ningcheng County, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, sentenced to 3 years
On May 15, 2026, the Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that Lü Tonggang, a Falun Gong practitioner from Chenghou Dong Village, Daming Town, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, was sentenced to three years. Officers arrested him and searched his home on April 29, 2025, after alleged surveillance and harassment. He was sentenced on January 7, 2026, transferred to Chifeng Prison, and is due for release on April 28, 2028.
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