Alerts & Statements | Chinese Human Rights Defenders

China: Authorities Must Release Arbitrarily Detained Human Rights Lawyer Yu Wensheng at the End of His Sentence and Ensure His Full Freedom

April 9, 2026 Comments Off

Human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng is expected to be released on 13 April after completing a three-year sentence following his baseless conviction for “inciting subversion of state power”. We, the undersigned civil society organizations, are deeply concerned about his wellbeing. We urge Chinese authorities to ensure that Yu Wensheng is (read more…)

China: Authorities Wrongfully ProsecutePublisher, Blogger

April 8, 2026 Comments Off

(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 (read more…)

Legal and human rights organisations condemn the conviction of Chinese human rights lawyer Xie Yang

April 2, 2026 Comments Off

The undersigned organisations express deep concern over the conviction of human rights lawyer Xie Yang on 23 March 2026, sentencing him to five years’ imprisonment for “inciting subversion of state power.” We urge the Chinese authorities to quash the conviction and drop the charges, as they stem solely from his (read more…)

China: Drop Charges, End Sham Trial of Artist Gao Zhen

March 25, 2026 Comments Off

(Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders—March 25, 2026) Chinese Human Rights Defenders learned today that Sanhe City Court in Hebei Province will put detained artist Gao Zhen on trial on March 30 at 9 AM local time. The trial hearing will be held behind closed doors. Authorities will not allow (read more…)

Winners Named for the 2026 Cao Shunli Memorial Award for Human Rights Defenders

March 15, 2026 Comments Off

After a public call for nominations and a vote by the initiating organizations, the 12th Cao Shunli Memorial Award for Human Rights Defenders (2026) is awarded to two human rights defenders from China: Ms. Wei Wenyuan and Ms. Wang Rongwen.

危文元、王蓉文共同荣获2026年“曹顺利人权捍卫者纪念奖”

March 13, 2026 Comments Off

经“曹顺利人权捍卫者纪念奖”发起机构公开征集提名、并由发起机构表决，决定将2026年第十二届“曹顺利人权捍卫者纪念奖”颁发给中国大陆人权捍卫者危文元女士和王蓉文女士。 2026年3月14日是曹顺利女士在她被任意羁押期间受折磨而被夺去生命十二周年纪念日。3月14日被大陆维权人士设定为“人权捍卫者日”。

China: Authorities should drop charges against and free artist Gao Zhen

March 12, 2026 Comments Off

(Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders—March 12, 2026) Chinese Human Rights Defenders learned this week that the Sanhe City Court in Hebei Province has postponed—for the third time—the trial of wrongfully detained artist Gao Zhen. Gao, who will soon turn 70, has been held for more than 18 months in (read more…)

Joint statement: States must address the human rights crisis in Hong Kong

March 6, 2026 Comments Off

Chinese Human Rights Defenders supported a joint statement delivered by ARTICLE 19 during the Item 2 General Debate at the 61st Session of the UN Human Rights Council.

China: Reinstate Pension Benefits to Freed Prisoners of Conscience

March 2, 2026 Comments Off

(Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders—March 2, 2026) New CHRD research shows that Chinese authorities are denying retirement-age prisoners of conscience their pension benefits following their releases from wrongful detention.

United Nations Rights Chief Should Address Beijing’s Deepening Repression

February 24, 2026 Comments Off

(Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders—February 24, 2026) Twenty-six civil society organizations are calling on United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to use his February 27 address to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to detail his office’s efforts to investigate alleged Chinese government crimes against (read more…)

Alert: Chinese court imprisons two defenders for commemorating Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo

February 17, 2026 Comments Off

(Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders—February 17, 2026) On February 13, 2026, a Chinese court sentenced two human rights defenders to prison on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Activist Zou Wei and writer Zan Aizong had participated in a seaside commemoration of Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo, who (read more…)

Hong Kong: Release Jimmy Lai and End Suppression of Freedom of Expression

February 9, 2026 Comments Off

(Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders—February 8, 2026) CHRD calls for the release of Jimmy Lai, the 78-year-old Hong Kong-British prodemocracy activist and owner of the shuttered newspaper Apple Daily, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison today.