Cao Yongliang （曹永亮）, born June 20, 1981, is a resident of Guocun, Yong’an town, Fenxi County, Linfen city, Shanxi province. He became a rights petitioner after his home was damaged when local authorities demolished unlicensed coal mines near his residence, an episode for which he says he received no compensation.
Petitioning and detentions, 2012–2015
Rights-defense media reported that Cao was intercepted while petitioning in Beijing on October 12, 2012; according to his family and rights-media accounts, he was beaten, held 20 days by Fenxi police, and a compensation arrangement discussed with local officials was never honored. Over the following years he was detained repeatedly after further petitioning, including in 2014 and 2015.
On July 1, 2015, while working in Beijing, Cao was seized by Fenxi police and taken back to Shanxi, where he was placed in the Wucun detention center in Linfen’s Yaodu district. On August 4, 2015, he was placed under criminal detention on suspicion of forging resident identity documents and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” （寻衅滋事）; on September 2, 2015, the Fenxi County Procuratorate approved his arrest. The case drew attention from the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which cited it in its 2016 Annual Report as a petitioner case still awaiting a verdict months after trial.
First conviction, 2016
On April 17, 2016, the Fenxi County Court sentenced Cao to one year and six months’ imprisonment for forging identity documents and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” His family and rights advocates reported that he was subjected to beatings while in custody. He was released on November 28, 2016, upon completing the term.
Second detention and 2022 conviction
On September 5, 2021, Cao was intercepted at his temporary residence in Beijing while submitting petition materials. He was sent back to Shanxi, placed under designated residential surveillance on September 7, 2021, placed under criminal detention on September 22, and formally arrested on October 1. He was held at the Huozhou detention center in Linfen.
On January 11–12, 2022, the Fenxi County Court tried his case and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment for extortion （敲诈勒索）. He appealed; on May 8, 2022, the Linfen Intermediate People’s Court rejected the appeal without an open hearing and upheld the sentence. His reported sentence term runs through September 21, 2026. The Rights Defense Network’s August 2026 roster of political prisoners lists Cao Yongliang among those sentenced to five years.
Sources: China Political Prisoner Concern (CPPC) case file 00369; Civil Rights & Livelihood Watch （民生观察）, 2015-08-06; Congressional-Executive Commission on China, 2016 Annual Report; CHRD Prisoners of Conscience database; 维权网, Issue 131 monthly report, August 31, 2026. Accounts attributed to rights-defense sources are reported as such. See the Media Profile & Archive for full source detail, per-item verification, and evidentiary limits.
View the Cao Yongliang （曹永亮） Media Profile & Archive for the complete source record and provenance.