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The Case of Renowned Artist Gao Shen Will Be Tried Behind Closed Doors at Sanhe City Court on March 30, 2026; Authorities Bar Family Members from Attending
Renowned artist Gao Shen will be tried behind closed doors at 9 a.m. on March 30, 2026, at Sanhe City Court, with family members barred from attending. Gao was detained on August 26, 2024, while returning to China, on suspicion of infringing the reputation of heroes and martyrs, then arrested and prosecuted. A bail application was rejected on December 14, 2025, and prosecutors recommended a three-year sentence.Ms. Qiu Xiuying, mother of renowned Sichuan human rights defender Chen Yunfei, dies on March 23, 2026, aged 91
Chen Yunfei’s mother, a Sichuan human rights defender’s mother, died on March 23, 2026, at age 91, after her son returned home in spring 2025 following eight years away. Zhang Guoqing’s tribute describes her raising six children, supporting Chen despite his activism and repeated detentions, maintaining her faith, singing to cope with loneliness, and awaiting his return. She was buried after a reunion lasting just over a year.Southern street movement activist and Henan human rights defender Jia Pin has been forcibly disappeared for 3 years and 6 months and remains unheard from; Xie Wenfei issues an all-network missing-person notice
A Rights Protection Network Information Center report dated March 25, 2026, said Henan rights defender Jia Pin had been forcibly disappeared for three years and six months. Xie Wenfei posted a missing-person notice identifying Jia, born in 1989 in Nanyang, Henan, as a Southern street movement and democracy activist. The report said Henan police took him from Beihai, Guangxi, on September 24, 2022; his whereabouts remain unknown.Zion Church Case: Chinese Authorities Punish and Harass Defense Lawyers, Forcing Them to Withdraw
After 18 Zion Church pastors and workers, including senior pastor Jin Mingri, were detained in October, authorities pressured their defense lawyers to withdraw. Lead lawyer Zhang Kai’s license was permanently revoked, while six others were suspended for six months. The case remains in the public security investigation stage after five months, with no formal charges. Families fear authorities will replace independent counsel with government-appointed lawyers and seek fraud charges over church donations.Tongde County Shitsang Monastery Monk Zega Gyatso, Detained for Sending Money Overseas, Has Been Released
Zega Gyatso, a monk at Shitsang Monastery in Tongde County, was arrested by Chinese police in July 2025 for sending money overseas. According to Voice of Tibet, he was released in January 2026 after six months in detention. The Rights Defense Network Information Center reported on March 25 that he remains under close surveillance, faces restricted movement, and must regularly travel to Xining City for ideological education.Case details and profile of Ms. Wang Guaiyan, a Falun Gong practitioner from Baoji, Shaanxi, sentenced to four years
On March 24, 2026, the Information Center of Rights Defense Network reported that Wang Guaiyan, a Falun Gong practitioner and former teacher from Baoji, Shaanxi, was sentenced to four years in prison and fined 16,000 yuan for “using a cult organization to undermine implementation of the law.” Arrested in April 2024, she is detained at Baoji No. 2 Detention Center and has appealed.Wang Xiuying: My Personal Experience Petitioning in Beijing—Petitioners Live in Corners Untouched by the “Light of the Law”
Wang Xiuying describes secretly traveling from her home to Beijing on February 23–25, 2026, after previous attempts to petition were blocked or intercepted. She says taxi drivers in Gu’an, Hebei, sought to sell petitioners’ identity information or charge entry fees. In Beijing, she reports evading interceptors, sleeping outdoors, and seeing petitioners endure cold, hunger and long queues outside the National Public Complaints and Proposals Administration on February 26 and 27.Case and profile of Ms. Liu Fanqin, a 75-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Chongqing sentenced to 2 years and 6 months
A Rights Protection Network Information Center report says Liu Fanqin, a 75-year-old Falun Gong practitioner and retired Chongqing Optical Instrument Factory cadre, was arrested on April 27, 2025, and sentenced in November 2025 to two years and six months. It states she had previously served sentences following persecution in 2000 and 2003, suffered serious arm disabilities, and was transferred to Chongqing Women’s Prison despite being unable to care for herself. Her sentence ends October 26, 2027.Case details and biography of Ms. Song Ruixiang, a 74-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Zhaozhou County, Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, sentenced to 2 years and 6 months
On March 23, 2026, the publication reported that Song Ruixiang, a 74-year-old Falun Gong practitioner from Zhaozhou County, Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison and fined 16,000 yuan. She was arrested on September 8, 2025, after being reported while speaking about Falun Gong, formally arrested on September 28, and tried on December 10 and March 11. Her sentence ends March 7, 2028.Joint Statement by Family Members of the 18 Detained Pastors and Co-workers in the Beijing Zion Church “10·9” Case (March 23, 2026)
Family members of 18 pastors and co-workers detained in the Beijing Zion Church “10·9” case say their loved ones have been held for 165 days in Beihai City, Guangxi, on suspicion of “illegally using information networks.” They allege defense lawyers have faced investigations, inspections, interviews, warnings, disciplinary measures and threats, and demand an end to the pressure, restoration of lawyers’ qualifications, and unhindered legal assistance.Famed human rights lawyer Xie Yang sentenced today to five years for “inciting subversion of state power” over his speech
The Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that on March 23, 2026, the Changsha Intermediate People’s Court sentenced human rights lawyer Xie Yang to five years for “inciting subversion of state power” and confiscated RMB 100,000 in property. The report said the verdict concerned WeChat statements, no defense lawyer participated in the trial, and Xie Yang said he would appeal. His sentence reportedly runs until January 10, 2027.Human rights lawyer Xie Yang's case to be sentenced on March 23, 2026
The Rights Defense Network Information Center reported on March 22, 2026, that the Changsha Intermediate People’s Court will sentence human rights lawyer Xie Yang in court on March 23. Xie’s family plans to attend. Xie, from Changsha, has been detained for 1,530 days and is currently held at Changsha No. 1 Detention Center. He faces accusations of inciting subversion of state power and picking quarrels and provoking trouble.Wuxi petitioner Chen Fengdi intercepted, kidnapped and beaten while petitioning in Beijing, suffering four broken ribs
According to the Rights Defense Network Information Center, Wuxi petitioner Chen Fengdi and two companions were intercepted in Beijing on March 16, 2026, detained, and beaten while being transported back to Wuxi, leaving Chen with four broken ribs and multiple injuries. The report says they remained under restricted freedom, while petitioner Yan Xiangping was detained for 24 hours after being stopped at a railway station on March 17.Case Details and Profile of Ms. Zhang Shuxiang, a 77-Year-Old Falun Gong Practitioner from Zhaoyuan, Shandong, Sentenced to One Year
On August 14, 2024, police from the Linglong Branch of the Zhaoyuan Public Security Bureau arrested 77-year-old Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Shuxiang of Zhaoyuan, Shandong, while she was promoting Falun Gong at a market. The Yantai Detention Centre refused her admission because of multiple fractures, and she was placed under residential surveillance. After a December 17, 2025 trial she could not attend, she received a one-year sentence and 6,000-yuan fine. She was taken to detention in January 2026 and later transferred to Shandong Women’s Prison.Open Letter from Chinese Christian Lawyer Li Xiaoming
On March 21, 2026, lawyer Li Xiaoming said Beijing authorities approved his transfer from a Shunyi District firm to one in Chaoyang District, but later pressured the receiving firm not to accept him. He said his employment was terminated and that authorities were pressuring him to cancel his license. Li attributed the actions to his Christian faith, Zion Church membership and advocacy for persecuted churches and lawyers.Pretrial conference in prominent artist Gao Zhen’s case to be held at 9 a.m. on March 24, 2026, in the Third Courtroom of Sanhe City Court
A pretrial conference for artist Gao Zhen is scheduled for 9 a.m. on March 24, 2026, in the Third Courtroom of Sanhe City Court. Gao was detained on August 26, 2024, and formally arrested on suspicion of infringing on the reputation of heroes and martyrs. His bail application was rejected, and the procuratorate recommended a three-year sentence. His wife and seven-year-old U.S.-citizen son remain unable to leave China.Prayer Request Letter Regarding Lawyer Li Xiaoming Being Forced to Voluntarily Cancel His Lawyer's License
Lawyer Li Xiaoming said the Beijing Chaoyang District Justice Bureau pressured his newly transferred law firm to force him to cancel his lawyer’s license. He said the firm director, under pressure, sent him an employment termination agreement on March 20, 2026. Li described the alleged actions as persecution over his Christian faith and accused the bureau of using covert threats, including asking to “have tea.”Public Letter from Citizen and Former Shanghai Lawyer Peng Yonghe to the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government (II)
Peng Yonghe asked authorities to hold responsible personnel at the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice accountable, require the bureau to supervise the Shanghai Bar Association and establish election and recall rules, and investigate documents allegedly infringing lawyers’ rights. He cited prior advocacy and complaints since 2012, including a 2015 electoral-fraud complaint, a 2018 lawsuit, and unanswered proposals sent in 2021 and 2022.Rights Defense Commentary: Zhang Jun: Viewing the Gradual Disappearance of Mongolian Culture Through School Renaming
The article says some Inner Mongolian schools were asked to replace names featuring Mongolian cultural characteristics with standardized Chinese names in the second half of last year. It links the renaming to earlier reductions in Mongolian-language instruction, textbook changes and the officialization of cultural activities. It says these developments have raised concerns about cultural preservation and assimilation, including protests and arrests around 2020.Briefing on the Meeting with Renowned Human Rights Defender Ms. He Fangmei
On March 20, 2026, Li Xin took the couple’s three children to Zhengzhou Women’s Prison in Zhongmu County to visit He Fangmei, who had recently been transferred there. The meeting lasted 30 minutes, and Li said her mental state had improved. He Fangmei, a Vaccine Babies’ Home organizer, is serving a five-year-six-month sentence for bigamy and picking quarrels and provoking trouble, ending January 1, 2027.Lawyer Xie Yang Has Been Unlawfully Detained for 51 Months; UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Determines That Xie Yang’s Detention Constitutes Arbitrary Detention
On March 20, 2026, the Rights Defense Network Information Center reported that lawyer Xie Yang had been detained for 1,528 days since his January 11, 2022 arrest. In Opinion No. 73/2025, adopted November 14, 2025, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention classified his detention under Categories I, II, III and V, citing lack of legal basis, retaliation, fair-trial violations and discrimination. It called for his release, compensation and investigation.
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