By 
10-04-2026 | Roberta Moisuc | Asia Team Researcher, Global Human Rights Defence.
Chinese human rights lawyer Xie Yang was sentenced to five years in prison on March 23, 2026, on charges of “inciting subversion of state power.” Initially arrested in January 2022, his trial took place in October 2025 in secret and his legal counsel was denied access.
Chinese human rights lawyer Xie Yang was sentenced to five years in prison on politically motivated charges of “inciting subversion of state power” on March 23rd, 2026.
Xie Yang is a human rights lawyer in China who defended activists and victims of human rights abuses in politically sensitive cases. He was arrested in January 2022, after he had advocated for the release of a teacher committed to a psychiatric facility who criticised censorship. Police raided Xie’s home and tortured him while in custody. This is not the first time he has been subjected to cruel treatment due to his work, as he was one of the many lawyers subjected to torture and enforced disappearance during China’s 709 crackdown.
According to Xie’s former wife’s social media post, the Changsha Intermediate Court in China has sentenced Xie Yang to five years in prison based on citations of the accused’s WeChat posts. Additionally, another order to confiscate 100,000 yuan was put in place by the court. Information revealed by Human Rights Watch on the case claims that throughout Xie’s trial, multiple violations of his rights occurred. Chinese authorities had extended his pretrial detention 13 times over four years. Xie’s legal counsel was not present during the trial as they were denied access to participate. Additionally, the trial was held secretly in October of 2025, with the verdict of his sentence being given out after five months since the trial had taken place, and family members being informed only after.
Xie Yang’s trial violated both international human rights legislation and China’s own criminal procedural laws. Both international and national legislations should have guaranteed the defendant’s right to a defence, right to a public trial hearing, and respected the time limits for criminal investigations. He is expected to finish his sentence in January 2027.
