Wuhan 70-year-old rights activist Tong Bin has been detained for nearly 9 months, his health condition continues to deteriorate. Before the Chinese New Year, his lawyer received another notice of his extended detention. Meanwhile, Tong Bin’s bank account and pension have been frozen, leading to a sudden reduction in the family’s financial resources. Under the weight of longing and economic pressure, his wife, Sun Xiaojia, spent the New Year alone instead of being together with her husband as they should have been.
Tong Bin was originally a corporate legal person, with a ancestral commercial property in a prime location in Wuhan. Over ten years ago, one night local government violently demolished their house, causing significant economic losses to Tong Bin and his family.
Since then, Tong Bin has persisted in petitioning for his rights and has been detained and physically abused multiple times, leaving him with a disabled left eye, 16 broken ribs, and 2 broken coccygeal bones, exacerbating his already declining health.
In June 2025, he was criminally detained by the police on suspicion of “provoking trouble” during his hospitalization and remains in custody to this day.
Tong Bin suffers from severe hypertension, cerebral infarction, bilateral kidney stones, and other chronic illnesses. Due to the lack of systematic treatment during his detention, he has shown early signs of a stroke, causing concern about his health condition.
Sun Xiaojia told Epoch Times that after Tong Bin’s arrest, his bank account and pension were frozen, indicating that he has been “frozen” by the authorities. She inquired with the local public security bureau, asking, “Tong Bin did not commit any economic crimes, why freeze his account?” Yet, “the public security bureau does not admit it was done by them.”
Sun Xiaojia stated that she only relies on a monthly pension of 2100 yuan to support her life. Besides daily expenses, she tries her best to save some money to send to her husband, hoping to make his days in detention a little better, making their financial situation very tight. Learning that his detention was extended before the Chinese New Year made her even more heavy-hearted.
“This New Year’s celebration must be tough. We used to celebrate as a family, going out and having fun. Being alone at home, I feel very lonely. I worry about whether he is eating and drinking well, and it weighs heavily on my heart.”
Sun Xiaojia believes her husband is innocent, as the authorities have not been able to produce any evidence of guilt to convict him. “(The authorities) fear that he will continue to petition after being released, so they keep extending his detention period.”
She pointed out that the authorities have illegally arrested and detained Tong Bin, “simply to shut him up and prevent him from petitioning for his rights. They know Tong Bin is a very persistent person who will definitely seek justice upon his release.”
Sun Xiaojia also revealed that her social media account has been under strict surveillance, preventing her from sharing any information related to the case. She calls on the public to pay attention to Tong Bin’s situation and urges the authorities to release him as soon as possible.