Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Senator Jeff Merkley Rep. Jim McGovern

Chair CoChair

Political Prisoner Database

Li Yuhan

On October 9, 2017, public security officials from Liaoning province detained 60-year-old lawyer Li Yuhan, holding her at a PSB detention center. Li suffers from heart disease, hypertension, and hyperthyroidism, but officials denied her medication and demanded her cooperation. Previously, Li made a report against a PSB branch for destroying evidence. She also represented Wang Yu, a lawyer detained in a crackdown on human rights legal professionals that began in mid-2015. Read more...
Huang Qi

On November 28, 2016, authorities from Mianyang and Neijiang cities and Chengdu, Sichuan, detained Huang Qi, the founder of rights website 64 Tianwang and on December 16, authorities approved his arrest on the charge of "illegally providing state secrets overseas." Huang suffers from kidney and heart disease, among other ailments, yet authorities have refused requests for medical parole. Cellmates reportedly beat him in October 2017 at the instigation of a detention center official. Read more…
Choekyi

On June 19, 2015, PSB officials detained Choekyi, a monk from Phugu Monastery, in Niduo township, Seda county, Ganzi county, Sichuan province. Choekyi reportedly wore a T-shirt with a Tibetan-language message “Celebrating [the Dalai Lama’s] 80th Birthday.” RFA (27 December 17) reported that Choekyi was sentenced to 4 years in prison. Prior to detention, Choekyi sought treatment for "liver and stomach ailments"; he reportedly suffered from kidney problems and jaundice in prison. Read more…
Ilham Tohti

On September 23, 2014, Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti was sentenced to life in prison for "separatism." Tohti reported that officials abused him, including by shackling him and depriving him of food and water, since he was detained on January 15. Tohti also lost significant weight partly because he was denied halal food. Prior to his detention, authorities restricted his movement and subjected him to harassment in connection to comments he made on ethnic minority policy in China. Read more...
Chen Xi

On December 26, 2011, the Guiyang Municipal Intermediate People's Court in Guizhou province sentenced Chen Xi (a.k.a. Chen Youcai) to 10 years in prison on a state security charge. Chen suffers from chronic enteritis, and medication provided by the prison was ineffective. Chen's detention took place on November 29, after he tried to obtain information about running in a local people's congress election and was linked to 26 essays he authored that were posted on overseas websites. Read more...