Status: Reported death in custody on September 22, 2026; the reported cause of death has not yet been independently verified.
Shi Tingfu (史庭福), 1959–2026
Shi Tingfu, a Nanjing human-rights defender and democracy activist, was serving a three-year sentence in the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps First Division Shahe Prison after being detained in January 2024. Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) reported on September 22, 2026 that Shi’s son received a call from the prison saying Shi had died at about 5:00 p.m. that day, with the prison giving “myocardial infarction” as the cause. This memorial records the death as reported by CHRD and family notification; independent medical documentation or an official death record has not yet been reviewed by Free China.
Custody history and health concerns
- Born June 14, 1959, in Nanjing, Jiangsu.
- Detained on January 15, 2024 after assisting Xinjiang fruit growers with petition materials and sending related information to an overseas journalist.
- Arrested on February 8, 2024 and later sentenced to three years for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”
- Transferred in October 2024 to Shahe Prison, First Division, Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
- Earlier reports said his health deteriorated in detention; reporting in 2025 described weakness, weight loss, poor physical condition and requests for letters from supporters.
Earlier activism
Public records describe Shi as a longtime rights advocate who supported the 1989 democracy movement, participated in street-based rights advocacy, and repeatedly commemorated June Fourth. Amnesty International documented his 2017 detention after he wore a “Never Forget June Fourth” shirt and gave a commemorative speech in Nanjing.
Evidence status
What is established: his identity, 2024 detention, three-year sentence, imprisonment at Shahe Prison, and documented prior health deterioration are supported by multiple public sources.
What remains to be verified: the precise medical cause and circumstances of death. The prison’s reported “myocardial infarction” explanation is recorded as an attributed claim, not as an independently established finding.
CHRD update, September 23, 2026
CHRD reported that Shi was a 2025 co-recipient of the Cao Shunli Memorial Award for Human Rights Defenders. CHRD also reported that he had hypertension, pneumonia and asthma. According to CHRD, a lawyer who met Shi at the Aral City Detention Center on April 11, 2024 observed that his already poor health had deteriorated in custody. Rights Defense Network, as cited by CHRD, said Shi’s family thought he appeared to be in “good condition” and did not mention feeling unwell during a visit not long before his death.
CHRD said it could not definitively confirm that inadequate medical care caused Shi’s death. It called for an independent investigation and for authorities to provide his family with full information about the circumstances of his death, including medical records and details of treatment requested or received.
Sources
- Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), September 23, 2026.
- Prisoners of Conscience Data, Mainland China — Shi Tingfu profile and detention chronology.
- Rights Campaign / Weiquan reporting, 2024–2026, on sentence, prison transfer and health.
- Amnesty International, July 31, 2017, on detention following June Fourth commemoration.
Related pages
Person profile: Shi Tingfu
Media Profile & Archive: Shi Tingfu