Ren Xiaohuan, a well-known Chinese blogger known as “Programmer’s Thoughts,” has been sentenced to seven years by the Chinese Communist Party for the crime of “inciting subversion of state power.” For the past four years, his wife finally visited him at the Shanghai Tilanqiao Prison on August 22 for the first time. She expressed on her social media account that Ren Xiaohuan has become extremely thin, with missing teeth.
On August 23, Mrs. Bei, Ren Xiaohuan’s wife, posted on her social media account revealing that she finally saw him on the 22nd, for the first time in over four years.
She wrote, “He appeared even older and thinner than he did during the trial. Due to constant exercises in the detention center, he still has a layer of muscles beneath his skin, but he has become very thin, with his bones protruding. He had periodontitis, a lack of vitamins in the detention center caused some teeth to fall out, including his front teeth. However, Ren Xiaohuan’s mental state is good, and there have been improvements in various aspects of his conditions in the prison. Hopefully, he will recover fully by next month.”
She also disclosed that they only had a 20-minute visit, during which Ren Xiaohuan talked about the situation in the prison, reassuring his family not to worry, and emphasizing the importance of filing appeals.
Due to the lack of evidence in the prosecution’s case, Ren Xiaohuan filed complaints in the detention center, and during the second trial, he faced threats from the National Security Brigade to switch to using Shanghai lawyers illegally. Mrs. Bei vowed to continue the fight through legal means.
The latest status of Ren Xiaohuan has drawn attention from the public, with netizens expressing their wishes for his well-being.
“His teeth fell out, even his front teeth. How heartbreaking for someone so young!”
“He is a true hero! Wishing him all the best.”
“I knew he was a strong fighter just by reading his blog back then. I hope he gets better.”
Ren Xiaohuan, known by his blog name “Programmer’s Thoughts,” and for his articles on Twitter (X platform account) exposing the abuses of the Chinese Communist Party and guiding readers on overcoming the Great Firewall, had published over 700 blog posts as of May 9, 2021. His posts meticulously documented various events, including the democratic protests in Hong Kong in 2014 and 2019, as well as a series of articles recollecting the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989. The Executive Director of “Chinese Human Rights,” Zhou Fengsuo, praised Ren Xiaohuan’s actions as a direct challenge to the tyranny of the CCP.
In May 2021, Ren Xiaohuan was arrested by the authorities in Shanghai, subjected to torture for confession, and then disappeared for nearly two years. On February 10, 2023, he was sentenced to seven years for “inciting subversion of state power” and his wife hired Beijing lawyers to appeal, facing pressure from the authorities. Mrs. Bei had also been briefly detained by the authorities.
Mrs. Bei has been relentless in seeking justice for her husband. After the first trial verdict, despite threats from the authorities, she engaged human rights lawyers from Beijing, including Mo Shaoping and Zhang Dongsuo, to handle her husband’s appeal and fought for the right to visit. At the end of December 2024, Ren Xiaohuan’s second appeal still upheld the original sentence. In late July of this year, Ren Xiaohuan was transferred from the detention center to the Shanghai Tilanqiao Prison (which has relocated from its previous downtown location to 709 Xiqing Road, Qingpu District).
Human rights lawyer in the United States, Wu Shaoping, commented on the case to a reporter from Dajiyuan, stating that Ren Xiaohuan’s deteriorating health over the past four years indicates he has been suffering greatly, and the authorities’ intention to keep him detained in the detention center for an extended period after his second trial verdict is essentially a form of punishment, as detention conditions under the CCP are even worse than in prisons.
Wu Shaoping remarked, “Shanghai was supposed to be a model city in Chinese society. The fact that such issues are prevalent there reflects how severe the situation is nationwide. Those detained in the detention center experience terrible living conditions.”
Wu Shaoping praised the family’s ongoing resistance but also noted that in communist China, the truth is not visible, the CCP’s legal system is ineffective, especially in cases involving dissidents like Ren Xiaohuan, where the law no longer serves its true purpose. At this time, using legal means to resist can only showcase the family’s courage and persistence.
He said, “We can only entrust the future society to conduct a fair trial on this matter, hoping for moral judgment of the blatant illegal actions and human rights abuses by the communist authorities. I believe the family’s resistance can serve as a testament, at least documenting this period in history.”