On August 10, 2026, in Hunan, media personality Yin Jiangen (pen name “Bigeng”) was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison for speaking out on behalf of a farmer and criticizing the Party Secretary of Liyang Town, Hefei County, Anhui Province, Liu Ying. The sentencing took place on August 6, 2026, in the first instance judgment at the Hefei County Court in Anhui.
During the sentencing, there was tight security inside and outside the courtroom, with a significant number of police officers blocking supporting protesters, unidentified individuals occupying seats in the gallery, and restrictions on the defendant Yin Jiangen’s ability to speak, leading to public controversy.
According to eyewitnesses, local authorities deployed a large number of police officers and inter-provincial law enforcement officers, wearing stab-proof vests, carrying law enforcement recorders, batons, and fully equipped, setting up a human barrier at the courthouse entrance to prevent over a dozen citizens from showing their support.
Furthermore, many out-of-town supporters were warned by local police over the phone or were detained at home before they could make it to the scene on the eve of the sentencing.
At the same time, the gallery was once again filled with seat-fillers. The seats that were supposed to be left for family members and the public were occupied by unidentified individuals, preventing access for families, the public, and those concerned about the case, turning the public trial into a mere formality.
The court hearing and sentencing process lasted only about half an hour, with the presiding judge reading the verdict, sentencing Yin Jiangen to 2 years and 3 months in prison. Yin Jiangen immediately expressed his intention to appeal in court, and his lawyers promptly drafted an appeal document, which was brought to the detention center for Yin Jiangen’s signature.
Ms. Ding, a human rights activist from Jiangsu, told reporters, “During the court hearing, the judge did not allow Yin Jiangen to speak. After the presiding judge read the verdict, Yin Jiangen said one sentence about wanting to appeal and was immediately taken away. The unjust verdict of Hefei County Court in Anhui is an attack and retaliation against media personnel helping voice the grievances of the people.”
Yin Jiangen, a resident of Zhuzhou, Hunan, is known online as “Sunshine under the Plough.” On August 11 last year, he was taken away by the police in Hefei County, Anhui, for writing several articles critiquing the Party Secretary of Liyang Town, Hefei County, Liu Ying.
A public account blogger named “Xiuyun” had predicted the possible sentence for Yin Jiangen the day before the trial. He mentioned his own experience in 2019 when he was also arrested by police from Cenxi City, Guangxi, for writing three articles criticizing the then-Party Secretary, Luo Weixiong, and was eventually sentenced to 1 year and 2 months on charges of “provocation and troublemaking.”
He believed that the target of Yin Jiangen’s criticism was only a Town Party Secretary, a lower-ranking official compared to Luo Weixiong. Based on this, he estimated that a one-year sentence would be the maximum. However, when the verdict was announced on August 6, he was shocked to learn that Yin Jiangen had been sentenced to 2 years and 3 months.
The Hefei County Prosecutor’s Office listed over four hundred articles published by Yin Jiangen on his WeChat public account criticizing and monitoring the government, public prosecutors, judges, and grassroots officials as evidence of the charge of “provocation and troublemaking.”
“Xiuyun” stated, “Yin Jiangen has long been concerned about grassroots vulnerable groups and rights defenders, writing over four hundred articles in six years, objectively documenting public sentiment and commenting on public affairs throughout, without any department finding any problems, which clearly demonstrates that his long-term expression through writing fell completely within the scope of legitimate freedom of speech.”
“Xiuyun” also argued, “How can a fact-based online article be turned into ‘provocation and troublemaking’? This fact itself shows that once power is unrestrained, no one is safe. When the legal provisions are wide open, who gets put in is solely dictated by the will of those in power.”
A public account blogger named “Haixiao,” who has been closely following the Yin Jiangen case, wrote, “You can deprive a person of their freedom, block public opinion supervision, even fill up courtroom seats. However, you cannot obstruct the convergence of public opinion. Sunshine is the best disinfectant, and openness is the cornerstone of judicial credibility.”