(Changsha, Hunan – March 9, 2026) This is a story about “disappearance,” but in legal documents, it manifests as 1,515 days of silence.
Since 2022, the prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Xie Yang (谢阳) has fallen into a legal black hole known as the “Changsha No. 1 Detention Center.” This week, the case has once again drawn international attention following a blunt refusal by judicial authorities. According to an informed source, the Changsha Municipal Intermediate People’s Court recently rejected the applications of lawyers Li Guobei (李国蓓) and Zhang Lei (张磊) to represent the case. Legal experts view this as a signal that Chinese authorities are further tightening the space for defense in politically sensitive cases.
“Everything is in a state of ‘nothingness,’” wrote Chen Guiqiu (陈桂秋), who is familiar with the situation, in a recent statement. She described a suffocating judicial cycle: no right to meetings, no public trial, no involvement of defense lawyers, and not even an official verdict.
Last October, Xie Yang’s family suddenly received a verbal notification from national security personnel stating that the case had gone to trial. However, this court session was nearly “invisible” in terms of legal procedure—there was no prior public notice, and no family members were in attendance. Since then, the office phone of presiding judge Yu Dan (余丹) has become an insurmountable barrier for the family: it either goes unanswered or is promptly hung up upon hearing the name “Xie Yang.”
Now 54, Xie Yang was one of the core figures in the “709 Crackdown.” The direct trigger for his re-arrest in 2022 was his public support for Li Tiantian (李田田), a pregnant teacher from western Hunan. At the time, Li Tiantian had been forcibly sent to a psychiatric hospital by authorities after posting comments on social media regarding history textbooks.
Subsequently, Changsha police criminally detained Xie Yang on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” This is not his first time behind bars, but the cost this time has been far heavier than before. During his detention, both of Xie Yang’s parents passed away. Even under the minimum standards of humanitarianism, the custodial authorities refused to let him see his parents one last time.
Even from within the high walls, Xie Yang’s professional dignity is conveyed through fragments of words. His statement from the detention center, “I would rather have my head cut off than bow it,” has become a footnote to the unyielding spirit of China’s community of rights-defense lawyers.
However, behind this spirit is an extremely fragile physical condition. According to previously leaked information, Xie Yang has been beaten multiple times in the detention center and subjected to heavy leg irons and handcuffs for long periods. Lawyer Li Guobei expressed strong condemnation of this inhuman treatment and the court’s illegal operations, calling it an “open trampling of the rule of law.”
Lamentations in Exile
For Chen Guiqiu, who is currently overseas, distance has not lessened the pain. Due to prolonged psychological pressure and extreme anxiety over Xie Yang’s safety, her symptoms of depression have significantly worsened recently.
“O Lord, how long will the suffering of Your children last?” she asked in prayer.
As China continues to emphasize its image of “governing the country according to law” on the international stage, the Xie Yang case acts as a piercing mirror, reflecting another face of its internal judicial system when confronting challengers. 1,515 days have passed; for Xie Yang and his family, justice has not only been delayed but is gradually blurring under a tight surveillance blockade.
Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent for ChinaAid
