Chinese writer and reporter Lü Gengsong is serving an 11-year prison sentence on charges of “subverting state power.” Hangzhou police arrested Lü, who frequently reported on the sentencing of rights activists, in July 2014.
Lü, a freelance writer and member of the Democracy Party of China, was detained on July 7, 2014, and his home was raided by security officers in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. He was charged with subversion of state power on August 13, according to Human Rights in China.
On June 17, 2016, a Hangzhou court convicted and sentenced Lü to 11 years in prison. The court said the conviction was related to articles Lü published on corruption, organized crime, and other topics, according to Radio Free Asia.
During an earlier hearing at a Hangzhou court on September 29, 2015, Lü tried to give a statement, but the presiding judge interrupted and prohibited him from speaking, claiming the content of the statement endangered state security, according to Radio Free Asia.
Lü reported on the sentencing of rights activists and frequently voiced support for the protection of basic rights. In October 2013, Lü and others wrote an open letter and petition against China’s presence on the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Previously, on February 5, 2008, the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Lü to four years in prison and one year’s deprivation of political rights on a charge of inciting subversion of state power. A lower court found him guilty of publishing "subversive essays" on foreign websites, according to the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which monitors human rights and the rule of law in the country. Lü was released on August 23, 2011.
Lü lost his teaching position at Zhejiang Higher Professional School of Public Security in 1993 over his support of the pro-democracy movement. In 2000 his book, “Corruption in the Communist Party of China,” was published by Hong Kong Culture and Arts Studio. In March 2007, his article "China’s Biggest Spy Organization: The Political and Legal Affairs Commission" appeared in Beijing Spring, an overseas democracy magazine.
Lü lodged an appeal with the Zhejiang High People’s Court in November 2016. The court upheld his 11-year prison sentence.
Lü has suffered from high blood pressure, diabetes, and a failing gallbladder while in prison. His lawyer’s 2017 application for medical parole in 2017 was denied, according to Radio Free Asia.
Lü is being held at Changhu prison in Huzhou, Zhejiang, as of October 2023.
In March 2023, human rights news website Weiquanwang reported that Lü’s health condition was deteriorating, and he wrote “help me” on the inside of his mask, showing it to his wife and two sisters during their visit.
In April, Radio Free Asia reported that the prison revoked Lü’s monthly visiting rights for three months, claiming that he violated the prison’s visiting rules by asking his wife to help him.
Lü’s wife told CPJ that Lü is fine physically as of December 2023, adding that she is allowed to visit Lü once a month.