Zhu Yuzhen (朱玉珍)
Zhu Yuzhen (朱玉珍) is a petitioner from Huainan, Anhui Province, the wife of petitioner Luo Qigang (罗其刚), who was prosecuted in January 2023 for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after publicizing her family’s forced-demolition case online. In 2021, property belonging to her in Huainan was demolished by the local government without her consent; after local complaints failed, her husband petitioned in Beijing and posted the family’s account on Douyin. The case facts come from Freedom House’s China Dissent Monitor; no court judgment or official charging document has been located. The Rights Defense Network’s (维权网) monthly political-prisoners report (Issue 131, August 31, 2026) lists her in its detained-without-trial group, confirming she remains in reported custody as of that date.
The case
After the 2021 demolition, Zhu filed complaints with the local petitioning office and the police, but received no remedy. Her husband Luo Qigang then traveled to Beijing to petition the National Public Complaints and Proposals Administration and posted an account of the family’s case on Douyin, the Chinese short-video platform. The case drew wide attention — Freedom House notes that one post about the story on NetEase received tens of thousands of comments.
Luo was arrested and later prosecuted for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” (寻衅滋事). Zhu Yuzhen was prosecuted for the same offense in January 2023, after sharing her story on Douyin. “Picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” an offense under Article 293 of China’s criminal code, is widely used by authorities against petitioners, activists, and online speech; Freedom House’s reporting describes it as a “pocket crime” readily applied to nonviolent expression.
Status and evidentiary limits
As of August 31, 2026, the Rights Defense Network’s Issue 131 report lists Zhu Yuzhen in its detained-without-trial group with an in-custody classification. No release date has been stated in any public source; none is given here. The case facts come from Freedom House’s China Dissent Monitor; no court judgment or official charging document for her January 2023 prosecution has been located, and no state-media report on the case was found. The record establishes no conviction or sentence; her age, occupation, detention facility, and the current disposition of the prosecution are unreported, and no conviction or sentence should be inferred. She must never be conflated with 周玉祯 (Zhou Yuzhen, Jinzhou, Liaoning Falun Gong practitioner, 4.5-year sentence) — different characters, province, and case.
Media Profile & Archive: Zhu Yuzhen 朱玉珍 — Media Profile & Archive