Li Yanxiang (李延香) is a petitioner and rights advocate from Qingdao, Shandong Province, whose case centers on the forced demolition of her business and years of petitioning that followed.
Li was born in March 1970 and lived in Jiaozhou, Qingdao. According to a detailed account published by the Chinese-language outlet 今日质疑 on June 27, 2026, local officials forcibly demolished her business premises in December 2013 without compensation, after which she began petitioning through official channels.
Front Line Defenders profiles Li as a petitioner who worked for years to obtain justice for herself and others over unjust appropriation of property by local officials. The organization says she provided training and solidarity to other petitioners and participated in advocacy for detained activists Fan Mugen and Ding Hanzhong and human-rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang.
According to the 今日质疑 account, which says it draws on Li’s own appeal materials, she was sentenced on August 16, 2017 to two years and six months in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” The article reports her allegations of severe mistreatment in custody. It further states that Li and her husband were detained again in September 2022 and that Li received a four-year-six-month sentence whose legal validity she disputes. These allegations and procedural claims have not been independently verified.
The Rights Defense Network’s monthly report dated August 31, 2026 lists Li Yanxiang among people classified as “detained without trial” in Shandong Province, indicating she was reported in custody as of that date. This classification conflicts with the criminal sentences described in the 今日质疑 account; both are presented here as reported by their respective sources.
Li’s current physical location and health status have not been independently established.
Sources: Front Line Defenders profile; 今日质疑, June 27, 2026.