Human rights lawyer Xie Yang has been secretly tried in court without access to legal representation. His defense lawyers, Li Guobei and Li Guisheng, were both prevented from appearing on Xie’s behalf. Over the past 3 years and 9 months of detention, Xie’s rights have been repeatedly violated: he has been tortured and shackled, denied access to a lawyer or case files, and prevented from communicating with the outside world. Now, his health has deteriorated such that he cannot walk steadily. Furthermore, Xie’s mother passed away on October 21. He has now tragically lost both of his parents while arbitrarily detained by the Chinese government.

Xie Yang, born in 1972, is a native of Changsha, Hunan, and is one of China's most prominent rights-defense lawyers. Since starting his practice in 2011, he has represented sensitive cases such as the "Nanle Church Case" and the "Zhang Baocheng Case," focusing on issues like religious freedom, land rights protection, and the mentally ill. During the 709 Crackdown in 2015, Xie Yang was disappeared by the Hunan authorities (a practice known as “residential surveillance at a designated location”) for representing several arrested lawyers. He was charged with "disrupting court order" and "inciting subversion of state power." In detention, he was tortured with sleep deprivation, beatings while suspended, and forced medication. On December 26, 2017, he was sentenced by the Changsha Intermediate People's Court for "inciting subversion of state power" but was exempted from criminal punishment. Afterward, he was placed under long-term house arrest and surveillance. On January 11, 2022, Xie was arrested again for voicing support for teacher Li Tiantian, who had been forcibly confined in a mental hospital, and was criminally detained on charges of "inciting subversion of state power" and "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." Xie has been held at the Changsha Detention Center ever since.

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