Recent cases in China illustrate the continued use of arbitrary detention, incommunicado imprisonment, and denial of medical care to punish peaceful human rights activism.
On 18 January 2026, land rights defender Yang Li was intercepted by plainclothes police while attempting to travel to Beijing for urgent medical treatment. She and her father were forcibly taken to a law enforcement centre and detained for more than ten hours; their phones were confiscated. Days earlier, they had similarly been intercepted in Beijing and forcibly returned to Jiangsu Province. Yang Li had been released on 30 December 2025 after serving one year and three months in prison for “disrupting the work order of state organs.” During detention, she was reportedly denied adequate medical treatment despite being diagnosed with a serious condition. Since her release, her health has rapidly deteriorated, and restrictions on her movement have prevented her from accessing essential care. The denial of medical treatment appears to be a form of retaliation for her longstanding advocacy against illegal land expropriation and forced evictions.In a separate case, student activist Zhang Yadi has been detained incommunicado since her arrest on 31 July 2025 in Changsha. She was reportedly charged under Article 103(2) of the Criminal Law for “inciting separatism” and “endangering national security,” offences carrying potential sentences of up to 15 years in prison. No trial date has been announced, and no reliable information is available regarding her health or detention conditions.
The use of national security provisions and restrictions on medical access to silence peaceful activism represents a serious violation of fundamental rights and international human rights standards.
