Xie Yang (谢阳) is a Chinese human-rights lawyer and a current political prisoner. He was detained during the 2015 “709” crackdown, later released, and detained again on January 11, 2022 after publicly supporting teacher Li Tiantian.
2026 sentence and appeal status
The Changsha Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Xie on March 23, 2026 to five years’ imprisonment for “inciting subversion of state power.” Human Rights Watch documented the sentence and serious due-process violations. ChinaAid reported on March 24 that Xie initially appealed, then reported on April 11 that he had waived the appeal; the later report therefore controls the current appeal-status field. Dui Hua records a sentence expiration date of January 10, 2027. Free China preserves that as a sourced sentence-expiry record, not a guarantee of actual release on that date.
709 history
Xie was detained in the 2015 crackdown and reported torture and enforced disappearance. He was released in 2017, remained under pressure, and was detained again in 2022.
Sources
- Human Rights Watch — March 23, 2026 sentence
- ChinaAid — April 11, 2026 appeal waived
- Dui Hua — Prisoner Updates 2026 #3
Rights-Defense Lawyers · 709 Crackdown Index · Political Prisoners
Status last verified: September 14, 2026.