This archive collects the source record for the reported October 2023 death in Fuzhou police custody of Ye Zhong (叶钟), a Fujian human-rights activist, and the subsequent reporting about people who questioned the official account.
Source chronology
- 2023: Bitter Winter reported on Ye’s rights advocacy, detention history and disappearance from public view.
- October 16, 2023: According to reporting, the Fuzhou Public Security Bureau’s Complaints Office informed relatives that Ye had died in custody and attributed the death to a sudden myocardial infarction.
- November 1, 2023: Asian Lawyers Network published a statement referring to Ye’s detention and death.
- January 2024: Bitter Winter reported on police action against activist He Zongwang after he publicly questioned the official account of Ye’s death.
Conflicts and evidentiary limits
The exact day of Ye’s death is unresolved: October 16 is the date relatives were reportedly notified. The official heart-attack explanation is attributed to authorities; family and friends alleged torture. Neither account is presented here as an independently established medical finding. The fate of Ye’s wife, Li Meiying, remains unknown.