According to reliable sources, the initiator of the Dismantle the Firewall Movement, Qiao Xinxin (formerly known as Yang Zewei), has been secretly sentenced to five years in prison and sent to the Chishan Prison in Hunan Province a month ago. His family has revealed that they did not receive any notice of the trial, only a mailed verdict.
Yang Zewei initiated the Dismantle the Firewall Movement in March 2023 to unite forces to break through the Chinese Communist Party’s internet censorship firewall. Just two months later, Yang Zewei was arrested by the Chinese authorities in Laos, sparking strong condemnation from the international community. In July of the same year, Yang Zewei was arrested on charges of “inciting subversion of state power” and detained at the underaged detention center in Hengyang City.
Volunteers remain concerned about Qiao Xinxin’s situation. Liu Dongling, the person in charge of the Dismantle the Firewall Movement, recently told a reporter from Epoch Times that they received feedback from volunteers that the postcards sent to Yang Zewei have been returned, while previously sent items were never returned, indicating there may be other issues involved.
Therefore, Lin Shengliang, the founder of the Evil People List, called Yang Zewei’s mother to confirm that Yang Zewei was sentenced to five years in prison in the first trial and has been sent to prison. There was no lawyer involved in the trial process, and the family was never informed to attend the court hearing. When asked if Yang Zewei was subjected to physical abuse in prison, his mother said, “I asked him, and he said no.”
A 15-minute recording provided by Lin Shengliang shows that Yang Zewei’s mother had not seen her son for over a year and only saw him recently after more than twenty days. The prison is located far away and takes two days to reach. “Nothing can be brought in to eat, it’s very strict now. I wanted to buy him some clothes, but I couldn’t. Nothing can be bought.”
Yang’s mother said, “There was no notice for the trial. I didn’t even know he was sentenced. I haven’t seen him in Hengyang at all. I am living and working now, waiting for my son to be released. I told him, your father is over seventy, your mother is over sixty, can you wait for that day? He said he could.”
Yang’s mother expressed her concern for her son, saying, “He has lost twenty kilograms. He used to be so plump, but now he has lost over ten kilograms. He has no money to spend, no good food to eat, how could he not lose weight.”
Yang Zewei’s brother also confirmed with volunteers that Yang Zewei was sentenced to five years for “inciting subversion of state power.” The family was not informed before the trial. They only received a mailed notice of the verdict.
The brother of Yang also disclosed that before the trial, the police had been monitoring their family.
He mentioned that he had asked a lawyer, and as soon as lawyers heard about the case, they were afraid to take it. Their phones were monitored by the police, and due to volunteers helping to contact human rights lawyers, local police even came to investigate them.
Yang’s brother said that the state security officials from Hunan Province came to investigate Yang Zewei, showing him a lot of evidence, including photos of Yang Zewei at the Laotian embassy, saying “Yang Zewei wants to break through this firewall and let foreign people see some of the bad things in China.” As a family member, he also couldn’t understand what crime Yang Zewei had committed.
Upon the sentencing, Yang Zewei had spent a month in “educational learning” in Changsha before being transferred to the Chishan Prison in Hunan Province. “Nothing can be brought into the prison except money. Only the elderly mother can deposit money into his account. Now only the mother can visit him, no one else can.” Yang’s brother said, “When I went to visit him, out of several people in my family, none were allowed to see him.”
Public records show that the Chishan Prison in Hunan Province, formerly known as the first prison of Hunan Province, is located in Chishandao South Zui Town, Yuanjiang City, and is a highly guarded medium-sized prison. Chinese human rights activist Ou Biaofeng and Taiwanese human rights worker Lee Ming-cheh have served sentences in Hunan Chishan Prison, revealing forced labor in the prison, with nearly 12 hours of work per day in some areas, and some zones even require 13-15 hours of labor per day. There are only four days of rest per year.
Liu Dongling told an Epoch Times reporter that there is a political prisoner learning program in Changsha, which is essentially a concentration camp. They have been negotiating with Yang’s family to find a lawyer for Yang Zewei, but his family is not cooperating. The human rights lawyer was able to speak to Yang’s brother for the first time. Around April of this year, the lawyer lost contact with Yang’s family. They were also discussing pooling some money with a few friends to help him, but the family has not accepted and is facing pressure from local authorities.
Liu Dongling believes that external attention has put pressure on the authorities. Not only with attention, volunteers both domestically and internationally continue to send him items and postcards. They still hope that lawyers can intervene and assist in appealing for Yang Zewei.