This archive preserves the documentary record on former Guangdong rights lawyer and anti-corruption whistleblower Liu Yao.
2007–2009 — land-rights case
CECC records Liu’s representation of villagers in Dongyuan County, his December 2007 detention, the original four-year sentence, retrial and appeals, and his April 16, 2009 release after the final sentence was reduced to 18 months suspended for two years.
2015–2017 — anti-corruption case and 20-year sentence
HRIC and CHRD document Liu’s anti-corruption reports, December 2015 detention, June 2016 formal arrest, and April 24, 2017 sentence of 20 years plus a 1.4-million-yuan fine. Human-rights groups and defense lawyers characterized the prosecution as retaliation; the official-side framing, as summarized by CHRD from court documents, accused Liu of using anti-corruption activity as a cover for extortion. Both interpretations are preserved with attribution.
HRIC case summary · CHRD briefing
2017–2018 — appeal and prison
HRIC records the August 10, 2017 affirmance without a hearing, September 19 transfer to Yangchun Prison, and further appeals through March 2018.
HRIC procedural timeline · HRIC March 2018 bulletin
Evidence limits
No verified public update after March 2018 was located. Allegations of torture and procedural violations remain attributed to Liu, his lawyers, and the cited organizations. One HRIC translation renders the 2017 sentence as ten years, but four other records, including CHRD’s court-document review, give 20 years; the ten-year rendering is treated as a translation error.