As Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng was released from a long and unjust imprisonment in April 2026, we look back on his situation over the past few years, the ways in which Lawyers for Lawyers has been involved, and provide an update on his current situation.
Yu Wensheng
Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan are prominent advocates for the rule of law and human rights in China. As a human rights lawyer, Yu is known for taking on politically sensitive cases, openly criticizing the Chinese government and publicly calling for constitutional reforms. Over the course of his legal career and his representation of human rights cases, he has repeatedly been targeted by the authorities.
His most recent experience of repression began on 13 April 2023, when Wensheng and his wife were detained en route to meet with European Union diplomats in Beijing. They were denied prompt access to a lawyer or their family. Ultimately, in October 2024, they were sentenced; receiving three years’ imprisonment for Yu and just shy of two years for Xu.
Following their sentencing, their situation remained dire. Xu was released in January 2025 but continues to face surveillance and harassment affecting both her and their son. Furthermore, despite meeting all requirements, she has been categorically denied her legal qualification certificate, limiting her professional activity and ability to support the family. Yu remained detained in Zhenjiang Prison under harsh conditions, with authorities refusing requests to transfer him closer to Beijing, forcing his family to undertake monthly long-distance visits. Their son has experienced severe psychological harm as a result of sustained surveillance and intimidation following his parent’s detention.
As of April 13, 2026, Yu Wensheng has officially completed his three-year sentence and has been released from Zhenjiang Prison. However, there are concerns that his freedom is only partial, as international observers note that upon his release he may still be monitored and under state surveillance.
Background
In July 2015, Chinese authorities launched a nationwide crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists, commonly referred to as the “709 Crackdown”. During the crackdown, the police seized over 300 lawyers and activists. This event marked a significant escalation in President Xi Jinping’s campaign against independent civil society. Over the following decade, the Chinese government continued to systematically persecute and silence lawyers who challenged official abuses.
Since then, authorities have refined and shifted their methods from blatant and direct repression to more covert and rules-based forms of control. While the initial crackdown relied on arbitrary detention and torture, the current landscape is defined by expanded judicial powers used to repress lawyers and enforce “absolute loyalty”. As of July 2025, the lack of accountability for these grave rights abuses has only emboldened the government to broaden its repression. Consequently, even after a decade has passed , lawyers continue to face vague charges, and endure daily surveillance and collective punishment of their families, within a legal system increasingly designed to ensure pervasive social control.
Lawyers for Lawyers’ work on the case
Lawyers for Lawyers has been monitoring Yu Wensheng’s situation for several years, following his repeated targeting for his human rights work and defence of the rule of law in China.
Following his previous arrest in 2018, Lawyers for Lawyers added Wensheng to the #FreeTheLawyers campaign in 2020. Lawyers for Lawyers chose to include Wensheng in this campaign because of his continuing efforts to protect the rule of law in China, which resulted in his arrest, the deprivation of his license to practice law, and continuing harassment.
This concern was further reflected in a petition letter addressed to the Chinese authorities in January 2021, in which lawyers’ organisations and legal professionals from all over the world, including Lawyers for Lawyers, expressed concern about Yu Wensheng’s scheduled transfer to a prison in Jiangsu and his deteriorating health condition.
After his re-arrest in 2023, Lawyers for Lawyers and 29 other civil society organisations issued a joint statement expressing their grave concern regarding the detention Wensheng and his wife, Xu Yan, and calling for their immediate and unconditional release, for an end to torture and ill-treatment in detention, and for full protection of their family from threats, intimidation, and harassment.
In April 2026, Lawyers for Lawyers joined 24 other legal and human rights organisations in expressing deep concern over the situation of Wensheng, and urged the Chinese authorities to release him at the end of his sentence and ensure his full freedom.
Futhermore, over the years Lawyers for Lawyers has worked to raise awareness of Yu Wensheng’s situation. Last April, for example, we wrote a brief update about his release for the Amsterdams Balie Bulletin.
