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Research record. Last verified August 31, 2026. Facts, attributed statements, and unresolved claims are distinguished below. No photograph is reproduced because reuse rights have not been established.
Qin Yongmin is a writer, human-rights advocate, Democracy Wall-era activist, co-founder of the China Democracy Party, and organizer associated with China Human Rights Watch and the Rose Group. His peaceful public work has included advocacy for constitutional democracy, freedom of association, political-prisoner releases, and civil-society participation in United Nations human-rights mechanisms.
Mainland Chinese Communist authorities detained him in 2015. In July 2018, the Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court convicted him of “subversion of state power” and sentenced him to 13 years in prison followed by three years’ deprivation of political rights. The Hubei Higher People’s Court rejected his appeal and upheld the judgment on September 27, 2018.
The precise first-instance judgment date differs across authoritative records: a 2025 government response says July 11, 2018, while a February 2025 UN communication gives July 10. The public profile therefore uses “July 2018” and does not resolve the discrepancy without the original judgment.
International finding
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention concluded in Opinion No. 20/2019 that Qin Yongmin’s detention was arbitrary and fell within Categories I, II, III, and V. UN experts also raised concerns about prolonged pretrial detention, access to counsel, and medical care.
Current status and location
A 2025 government response to UN special procedures stated that Qin Yongmin was serving his sentence in Guanghua Prison in Hubei Province. A February 28, 2025 UN communication independently identified Guanghua Prison in Qianjiang City, Hubei Province. PEN America’s current case page also lists him as incarcerated. No release has been verified, and this profile does not infer an exact future release date.
Health and access
The government’s 2025 response says he receives daily medication for high blood pressure, undergoes a comprehensive examination every six months, and has met family members and lawyers more than 20 times. These are attributed government claims, not an independent medical assessment. UN experts stated in February 2025 that information previously requested about access to adequate medical care and counsel had not been provided. This profile therefore does not claim that his current health or access to care has been independently verified.
Why this case matters
Qin Yongmin’s case spans the Democracy Wall period, independent publishing, opposition-party organization, peaceful constitutional advocacy, human-rights documentation, and engagement with international human-rights mechanisms. It illustrates the repeated criminalization of nonviolent democratic organizing across several decades.
Free China Movement position
The Free China Movement calls for Qin Yongmin’s immediate and unconditional release; independent access to counsel, family, and medical care; restoration of his civil and political rights; and accountability for arbitrary detention and other violations of internationally protected rights.
Free China 