Under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, the darkness of the judicial system is astonishing. On April 20th, the topic labeled “Inmate Dies After Being Abused by Prison Guards” surged to the top of trending topics on Weibo. After 9 years of appeals, Mr. Xie finally received a chance for a retrial. The prosecutor’s office admitted that his father died abnormally in prison and sent the case back for a new trial.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media, on January 15, 2017, 53-year-old Mr. Xie died suddenly in Fuyang Prison in Anhui Province. His son, Mr. Xie, saw injuries on his father’s body and a hole on his head, suspecting that his father had been abused before his death. A month before the incident, he visited his father in prison, and his father was physically fine at that time. However, the Fuyang Prosecutor’s Office claimed that Mr. Xie’s death was classified as normal.
The Fuyang Prosecutor’s Office stated in a reply that on January 6, 2017, Mr. Xie was transferred from the specialized district of Fuyang Prison to the Fourteenth district due to non-compliance and verbal abuse. A political instructor, Xu, arranged for inmates on duty to restrain Mr. Xie. He was released from restraint on January 10. In the early hours of January 15, he fell ill, was taken to the prison hospital for emergency treatment, then transferred to Fuyang City Second People’s Hospital and pronounced clinically dead at 2:50 am that day.
Fuyang Prison commissioned the East China University of Political Science and Law Forensic Appraisal Center to determine the cause of death. The appraisal found that Mr. Xie died suddenly as a result of epilepsy exacerbating heart disease on the basis of multiple illnesses.
Subsequently, the family embarked on a long journey of appeals, only to find a glimmer of hope 7 years later.
In 2023, the Fuyang Prosecutor’s Office stated that Mr. Xie was restrained by Xu, a political instructor in the Fourteenth district of Fuyang Prison in Anhui Province, causing his abnormal death. The office decided to prosecute Xu. In July of the same year, the first trial of the case took place, where Xu was sentenced to 8 months in prison for the crime of mistreating the detained person.
Mr. Xie believes that the prosecutor’s office did not change the fact that his father died abnormally and continues to fight, persisting in his appeals.
In November 2025, the Fuyang Prosecutor’s Office finally acknowledged that Mr. Xie died abnormally. In March 2026, the prosecuting body, Fuyang Yingdong District Prosecutor’s Office, modified the original indictment, deleting the previous forensic result of “died from epilepsy exacerbating heart disease on the basis of multiple illnesses.”
Recently, Mr. Xie informed mainland media reporters that after the first trial verdict, Xu appealed. Due to the prosecutor’s office altering the indictment based on new evidence, the case was sent back to the Yingdong District Court for retrial, scheduled for April 23.
Currently, this case has become a focal point of online attention.
Netizens commented expressing their frustrations and concerns regarding the case, emphasizing the need for accountability and justice for the deceased. They question the integrity of the judicial system and demand thorough investigations into potential negligence and malpractice by the authorities involved.
The drawn-out legal battle and the pursuit of justice by Mr. Xie’s family serve as a stark reminder of the challenges ordinary citizens face in seeking redress against law enforcement entities. The gravity of the situation underscores the need for transparency, accountability, and the protection of human rights in the legal system.