Alert: Deaths and Torture of Prisoners of Conscience amid Delayed UN Scrutiny

April 30, 2026 Comments Off

Deprivation of medical treatment can be a deadly form of torture

(Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders—April 30, 2026) Chinese authorities should immediately release and provide adequate medical care to two arbitrarily detained Tibetan writers. They are reportedly in critical health and are being deprived of adequate medical treatment in prison. Two Falun Gong practitioners recently died in prison or shortly after release, reportedly after facing similar treatment.

There is no publicly available evidence that authorities provided these individuals with adequate medical treatment in custody despite deteriorations in their health. Chinese law requires that detainees who are seriously ill be released to serve their sentences outside of prison, and it is unclear why such treatment was not or has not been extended in these cases. Authorities should ensure independent investigations are conducted into these deaths and allegations of torture.

According to the Tibet Times on April 21, 2026, Tibetan writers Gangkye Drubpa Kyab and Tsering Dolma have faced torture while held in prisons in Sichuan Province, causing serious health problems. Both are reported to have been denied access to adequate medical care. Gangkye Drubpa Kyab’s heart and kidney functions have reportedly deteriorated, as have his eyesight and memory. Tsering Dolma is reportedly suffering from memory loss, disorientation, and chronic pain.

Both writers are serving lengthy prison sentences on trumped-up charges of “inciting secession” for their writings about and advocacy for Tibetan culture. Gangkye Drubpa Kyab is serving a 14-year sentence that is slated to end in 2035, and Tsering Dolma is serving 8 years and is expected to be released in 2029.

Depriving adequate medical care for prisoners of conscience, which is often coupled with the arbitrary denial of medical parole, is a form of torture and can be deadly. The Rights Defense Network reported on April 24 and 26 that two Falun Gong practitioners, You Haijun in Ningxia and Zhang Rongxiu in Tianjin, died in mid-April while serving five-year prison sentences handed down for their religious beliefs. You was sentenced for “using a cult to undermine law enforcement,” and Zhang on unknown charges.

You died suddenly on April 13 at Shizuishan Prison in Ningxia, shortly before his sentence was to end in mid-May. Authorities told You’s family that he suffered from medical conditions, including coronary heart disease, and that his death was due to illness. He was not known to have any medical conditions before he started his sentence and during his incarceration, his family had tried to visit him in prison but were unlawfully blocked by authorities. Prison officials reportedly coerced the family into signing documents authorizing You’s cremation on April 19, making it impossible to independently verify authorities’ claims about the causes of death.

Zhang had been serving her sentence at Tianjin Women’s Prison. She began to exhibit signs of severely worsening health and was diagnosed with late-stage uterine cancer in approximately November 2025. Her family applied for medical parole. Authorities stalled the process before eventually approving her release on April 7, allowing her daughter to take her home but by which point she was gravely ill. Zhang died on April 11. Her prison sentence was set to end in August 2026.

Authorities’ failure or refusal to provide adequate medical care for detainees violates Chinese and international law, including the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which China ratified in 1988. The United Nations Committee against Torture’s last review of the Chinese government under this treaty took place in 2015.

CHRD is conducting research in preparation for the long-delayed review of the Chinese government’s compliance with the Convention against Torture. That investigation, which will be released later this year, shows that deprivation of adequate medical care in detention was the most frequent method of torture and ill-treatment inflicted on prisoners of conscience between 2016-2025.

For more information, please contact:

Sophie Richardson, Co-Executive Director, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, sophierichardson[at]nchrd.org, +1 917 721 7473

Angeli Datt, Research and Advocacy Coordinator, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, angelidatt[at]nchrd.org, +1 934 444 6155

Shane Yi, Researcher, Chinese Human Rights Defenders, shaneyi[at]nchrd.org