Yang Tongyan / 杨同彦 (Yang Tianshui / 杨天水) — Media Profile & Archive
Yang Tongyan (杨同彦), who wrote under the pen name Yang Tianshui (杨天水), was a Chinese writer and democracy activist imprisoned for 22 years across two political sentences. His poems, essays, and memos — many written in prison — circulated on Chinese-language websites, and his death on medical parole in November 2017 drew international tributes from free-expression organizations. See the person profile.
Attributed writings
- “China Permeated with Fear” (August 1, 2008), hosted by PEN America.
- 2006 trial verdict (Chinese), containing writings cited against him at trial.
- Two prison poems in English translation, Human Rights in China’s China Rights Forum 4/2007.
- Prison writings in English translation, Independent Chinese PEN Center, Spring 2010.
Books and published works
No stand-alone book with a confirmed title, publisher, and year was located in the prepared evidence. His documented online corpus includes writings attributed to Yang Tianshui on Boxun and other Chinese-language sites.
Statements, tributes, and analysis
- PEN America — death statement (November 8, 2017)
- PEN International via IFEX — obituary (November 2017)
- Amnesty International — death statement (November 2017)
- CPJ — analysis of medical neglect of jailed journalists (December 2017)
- Human Rights Watch — UPR submission on China (2018)
Evidence notes
- Yang’s death date is recorded as November 7, 2017 by PEN, Amnesty, and PEN International/IFEX.
- The sentencing date is May 16, 2006 in PEN and CHRD records; some derivative records use May 17.
- Claims about medical neglect or pressure on the family remain attributed to the organizations or sources making them.
- No stand-alone published book or clinical cause of death beyond the reported brain tumor is asserted.
Person profile: Yang Tongyan / 杨同彦 (Yang Tianshui / 杨天水).