Yang Chunlin

Who is Yang Chunlin?

Yang Chunlin is a human rights activist in Heilongjiang, China. Yang has published numerous articles on human rights and land rights. In 2007, he helped organise a petition entitled, "We want human rights, not the Olympics." The petition reportedly collected over ten thousand signatures. Yang was convicted of "inciting subversion of state power" on 24 March 2008 and sentenced to five years in prison and two years of subsequent deprivation of political rights. Another activist involved with the open letter, Yuan Xianchen, was convicted of similar charged and sentenced to four years in prison. Yang was released from prison on 6 July 2012.

Yang was arrested in July 2007 and charged with "inciting subversion of state power". His trial began in February 2008 in Jiamusi, Heilongjiang. Yang was sentenced to five years in prison on 24 March 2008. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial. During and after the hearing at which he was sentenced, Yang was reportedly beaten with an electric rod on at least two occasions.

In a retrial on 19 September 2008, the Jiamusi Municipal Intermediate People's Court upheld Yang's original sentence. According to those in attendance, the trial lasted for under 30 minutes. Yang was transferred to Xianglan Prison on 25 September 2008, for the remainder of his sentence. He has been described as a political prisoner.