Former secretary-general of China Human Rights Watch and human rights activist Ms. Xu Qin was unjustly sentenced to four years in prison by the Chinese Communist Party for “inciting subversion of state power” and was released on parole on July 11th. Currently, Xu Qin is facing severe control and silence by the authorities in her own home. Her friends say that Xu Qin will not surrender in the face of this oppression.
Recently, a source who wished to remain anonymous named Yu Shan, told a reporter from Epoch Times that at around 6 a.m. on the 11th, Xu Qin was escorted back to the local police station in Gaoyou, Jiangsu by six prison guards. Subsequently, several local public security officials, judicial leaders, and community cadres took turns to have conversations with her.
Epoch Times tried to contact the Gaoyou County Public Security Bureau, but the calls went unanswered.
Before Xu Qin’s release, there were rumors that the local state security planned to rent a house near her home to permanently monitor and surveil her. Yu Shan mentioned that although Xu Qin currently resides in her own home, her freedom of speech is restricted. She is followed and photographed when she goes out, and there are occasional disturbances when individuals enter her home under the pretense of checking for leaks.
Furthermore, the authorities have forced Xu Qin to sign agreements, including prohibiting her from giving interviews to foreign media and undergoing five years of “reform through labor.” Yu Shan stated, “As long as the Communist Party is in power, she will never have freedom in her lifetime.”
At 63 years old, Xu Qin, originally from Gaoyou County, Jiangsu Province, has previously served as the former secretary-general of the grassroots human rights organization “China Human Rights Watch” and a member of the “Rose Team.”
She has long been dedicated to monitoring human rights issues in China, and co-founded “China Human Rights Watch” with prominent mainland human rights activist Qin Yongmin. Qin Yongmin was sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges of “subverting state power” in 2018 and is currently still in prison. In support of Qin Yongmin, Xu Qin had previously taken to the streets to protest on his behalf.
Xu Qin has also spoken out for the families of the 709 lawyers, dissidents, and petitioners. On January 31, 2018, Xu Qin was taken away by the police and criminally detained on charges of “inciting subversion of state power.” She was later released on bail on August 31. In November 2021, shortly after undergoing heart bypass surgery, Xu Qin was taken away by the police from her home and detained at Yangzhou Detention Center. She was subsequently arrested and charged with “inciting subversion of state power” by the Yangzhou Intermediate People’s Court.
During her detention, Xu Qin was subjected to torture, held in solitary confinement, and deprived of the right to sleep and receive medical treatment, resulting in a severe worsening of her condition with brain and heart issues, causing her to be paralyzed and unable to stand for several months. Despite her deteriorating health, the detention center refused to approve her request for medical parole.
Yu Shan pointed out that the entire legal process of Xu Qin’s case was unlawful. The authorities cited “insufficient evidence” as a reason to postpone the court hearing 12 times, causing significant damage to Xu Qin’s physical and mental health. The numerous letters she wrote to her lawyers and the complaints she lodged against the court for illegal practices were all confiscated by the detention center. Additionally, the police forwarded her complaints to the handling judge, which Yu Shan deemed as illegal.
In response, Xu Qin went on three hunger strikes to protest. During her final hunger strike lasting 12 days without consuming any food, she was forcibly fed three times by prison guards, resulting in physical harm to Xu Qin with lesions in her cerebellum and noticeable decline in her memory.
Due to Xu Qin’s unwavering dedication to human rights activism, her lawyers finally received her letters in May 2024. Yu Shan remarked that as a human rights defender, being able to communicate with her lawyers while in detention breaks through the isolation created by the Chinese Communist Party.
On March 29, 2024, the Yangzhou Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Xu Qin to four years in prison for the same charge of “inciting subversion of state power,” and deprived her of political rights for two years.
Yu Shan mentioned that upon verification by Xu Qin herself, her lawyers had not received the final verdict after the ruling. The judgment she saw did not bear any official seals, raising doubts and suspicions of forgery by the plaintiffs and the court, rendering the judgment completely invalid.
“According to the so-called laws of the Chinese Communist Party, Xu Qin has the right to criticize and supervise the government; she is innocent,” Yu Shan stated. Despite being back home, Xu Qin remains in a precarious situation, and it is hoped that more attention will be given to her situation by the international community.