Amnesty International Demands Full Freedom for Human Rights Lawyer Yu Wensheng Upon Release

Amnesty International has called on Chinese authorities to ensure the full and unrestricted freedom of human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng as he nears his scheduled release from prison on 13 April 2026.

Yu Wensheng is expected to be released after serving a three-year sentence for inciting subversion of state power. He and his wife, activist Xu Yan, were taken into police custody on 13 April 2023 while they were on their way to a meeting with the European Union delegation to China in Beijing.

The human rights organization emphasized that Yu’s freedom must not be partial upon his release. Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director, stated that Yu must be permitted to return to his family in Beijing and resume his professional life without facing surveillance, intimidation, or other restrictions on his rights.

If and when Yu Wensheng walks out of prison next week, his freedom cannot be partial. He must be allowed to return home, reunite with his family and resume his life and his work without surveillance, intimidation or other restrictions on his rights.

Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director

Legal Proceedings and Detention

The couple was originally charged with picking quarrels and provoking trouble and were initially detained at the Beijing Shijingshan Detention Centre. In October 2023, they were indicted on new charges of inciting subversion of state power.

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In January 2024, Yu and Xu were transferred to the Suzhou Detention Centre in Jiangsu province, located approximately 1,000 kilometers from Beijing. Their cases were heard at the Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court in August 2024. Reports indicate that activists and diplomats from several foreign missions were denied entry to the courtroom during these proceedings.

On 29 October 2024, the Suzhou Intermediate Court sentenced Yu Wensheng to three years in prison and Xu Yan to one year and nine months in prison. Xu Yan was released in January 2025.

Concerns Over Treatment and Repression

Amnesty International has raised concerns regarding the conditions of detention. Xu Yan reportedly lost 14kg while detained, and the organization stated that the conditions she faced in Beijing may have amounted to torture or other ill-treatment. Xu also reported being subjected to verbal abuse and intimidation by police, who threatened to arrest her son if he engaged in advocacy for her and Yu’s cases.

The impact of state repression has extended to the couple’s children. Xu Yan reported that her son faced surveillance and harassment during Yu’s previous imprisonment and that these activities continued during the most recent detention, causing serious mental health impacts on their son.

Pattern of ‘Political Rights’ Deprivation

The case of Yu Wensheng highlights a broader pattern in the Chinese judicial system regarding human rights defenders. Research released by Amnesty International found that in 38 out of 68 reviewed cases involving national security provisions, defendants were sentenced to deprivation of political rights to be served after their prison term ends.

Amnesty International asserts that these supplemental sentences violate international standards and are used by the government to justify ongoing harassment of activists, effectively preventing them from continuing their human rights work after their release from jail.

Background of Yu Wensheng

Yu Wensheng is a prominent advocate for the rule of law and human rights in China. He has previously served a four-year prison sentence between 2018 and 2022. His earlier detention followed his criticism of Chinese President Xi Jinping and the publication of an Open Letter on Proposed Amendments to the Constitution in 2018.

During his previous imprisonment, Yu reported being tortured. The court judgment at that time claimed he had fabricated facts and intervened in sensitive domestic issues, including the crackdown on lawyers in 2015 and cases involving Falun Gong religious practitioners, by accepting interviews with foreign media.

Sarah Brooks described Yu’s imprisonment as a clear attempt to send a warning to others in China who dare to defend human rights, while noting that human rights defenders have continued to resist being silenced despite these tactics.