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Li Yanhe (李延贺) — Taiwan-based publisher imprisoned in the PRC (Mainland)

Li Yanhe (李延贺) — Taiwan-based publisher imprisoned in the PRC (Mainland)

Status: Released from prison in May 2026, according to unnamed sources cited by Taiwanese media and the Dui Hua Foundation. He is reportedly unable to leave the PRC (Mainland) while a one-year “deprivation of political rights” is in effect. Status as of 17 October 2026; not officially confirmed by the authorities in Beijing or Taipei. (Sources: Dui Hua Foundation, July 2026; CNA and Taipei Times, 9 June 2026.)

Summary

Li Yanhe, known by his pen name Fucha (富察), is the founder and editor-in-chief of Gusa Publishing (八旗文化), a publisher in Taiwan. He disappeared during a visit to Shanghai in March 2023. In April 2023 the PRC Taiwan Affairs Office confirmed he was under investigation by state security authorities. In March 2025 it announced that the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court had convicted him of “inciting secession” on 17 February 2025 and sentenced him to three years in prison, one year’s deprivation of political rights, and confiscation of RMB 50,000 in personal assets. The ROC (Taiwan) Mainland Affairs Council called the proceedings “completely secret”. Human rights and press freedom organizations called for his release.

Background

Li was born in 1971 in Liaoning Province, PRC (Mainland), and is ethnically Manchu. He was deputy director of the Shanghai Literature & Art Publishing House before moving to Taiwan in 2009 with his Taiwanese wife. There he founded Gusa Publishing as an imprint of the Book Republic group. Gusa became known for history and current-affairs titles that challenge Han-centred and official PRC historical narratives, including books critical of the Chinese Communist Party. He also hosted a programme on Radio Taiwan International. He received an ROC (Taiwan) residence permit in 2013. According to Taiwanese media, he travelled to the mainland in 2023 to cancel his household registration there, a step required to complete his settlement in Taiwan.

Case timeline

  • March 2023: Travels to Shanghai and loses contact. The PRC Taiwan Affairs Office later said the Shanghai State Security Bureau placed him under “criminal coercive measures” on 21 March 2023, on suspicion of “inciting secession”.
  • 20–22 April 2023: Friends report his disappearance. Writers, publishers and scholars in Taiwan and abroad sign appeals for his release; more than 350 signatories were reported.
  • 26 April 2023: The Taiwan Affairs Office confirms he is “under investigation by state security authorities on suspicion of engaging in activities endangering national security”.
  • 17 May 2023: The Taiwan Affairs Office says his wife has been allowed to speak and write to him.
  • February 2025: The Supreme People’s Procuratorate lists his case among “major” national security cases, according to Human Rights Watch.
  • 17 February 2025: The Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court issues a first-instance verdict, according to the Taiwan Affairs Office. This was not disclosed at the time.
  • 17 March 2025: The Taiwan Affairs Office discloses the conviction for “inciting secession” without stating the sentence. The Mainland Affairs Council says the “public trial” was in fact completely secret.
  • 26 March 2025: Answering a journalist’s question, the Taiwan Affairs Office says he was sentenced to three years in prison, one year’s deprivation of political rights and confiscation of RMB 50,000. It says he “pleaded guilty in court” and did not appeal. The Mainland Affairs Council responds that not appealing “does not mean admitting guilt”.
  • March 2026: The annual work report of the PRC’s top court and procuratorate to the National People’s Congress cites his conviction. The Mainland Affairs Council condemns this as suppression of free speech.
  • May 2026: Released after completing his prison term, according to unnamed sources cited by CNA, Taipei Times and Liberty Times. He is reportedly barred from leaving the mainland because of the supplementary penalty.
  • 10 June 2026: Asked about his release and exit restriction, the Taiwan Affairs Office says only that the case “has always been handled according to law”.
  • 11 June 2026: The Mainland Affairs Council says the government is informed of his situation but, at his family’s request, will not comment.

Current status (as of 17 October 2026)

Reported released from prison in May 2026 and living in the PRC (Mainland). He is reportedly prevented from returning to Taiwan while serving the one-year deprivation of political rights, according to the Dui Hua Foundation (July 2026) and Taiwanese media citing unnamed sources (June 2026). Neither the PRC nor the ROC (Taiwan) authorities have publicly confirmed his release. A friend told BBC Chinese he has been unable to reach him. No report found as of this date indicates that he has returned to Taiwan.

See also: Li Yanhe (李延贺): Media Profile & Archive

Sources