China: Authorities Wrongfully ProsecutePublisher, Blogger

April 8, 2026 Comments Off

Vague charges, delays violate fair trial rights

(Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders—April 8, 2026) Two recent cases highlight Chinese authorities’ ongoing criminalization of free expression. On March 24, 2026, a Beijing court sentenced publisher Tu Jincan to three years and six months in prison for “illegal business operations.” In February, in Anhui Province, a court tried blogger Yin Jiangen on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” without issuing a verdict, according to the Chinese-language site Rights Defense Network.

Authorities detained Tu in late November 2023 on suspicion of “illegal business operations” and formally arrested him in December 2023. The charge reportedly stems from his having published books outside the mainland’s tightly controlled and censorship-driven licensing system, which itself restricts freedom of expression.

The investigation period was extended at least twice before his trial, which was reportedly held on March 28, 2025. Yet the court did not announce his sentence until nearly a year later. Article 208 of China’s Criminal Procedure Law requires courts to issue a judgment within a maximum of three months of accepting a case.

Tu founded a genealogy and biography publishing service in 2008, and helped over 5,000 families compile and publish family histories, genealogies, and personal memoirs. Authorities previously detained him for one year in 1989 for writing “Where Is China Heading?” He is also a signatory to Charter 08, a document published in 2008 calling for political reform and human rights in China.

On August 11, 2025, public security officers from Anhui Province traveled to Hunan Province to detain Yin after he published articles criticizing a Party secretary in Liyang Town, He County, Anhui. The He County procuratorate formally arrested him on the “picking quarrels” charges in September.

Authorities are prosecuting Yin, who goes by the pen name Bi Geng (“plowing with the pen”), for posting more than 400 articles on his public WeChat accounts. Those posts criticize abuses of power by local officials and police and defend petitioners seeking justice.

In February 2026, the He County Court tried Yin, though the proceedings ended without a verdict. On March 26, the court extended the trial period by three months.

Article 35 of China’s Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and publication. The government is similarly bound to respect this right as a party to several international human rights treaties. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk identified the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” as overly broad and vague, and called for its repeal in September 2025. CHRD’s research shows the charge is routinely used to silence those exercising or defending human rights.

Authorities should immediately and unconditionally drop all charges against Tu and Yin, and release them and others jailed solely for exercising this fundamental freedom.

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