Chen Wei

Date(s) of Arrest:
1989, 1992, 2011
Prison Terms:
1.5 years, 5years , 9 years: 15.5 years in total
Charges:
Counterrevolutionary propaganda, inciting subversion of state power
Crime:
Engaging in democratic activities, publishing articles against the government, organizing a political opposition party

Chen was born in 1969 in Sichuan. While still studying at the Beijing Institute of Technology, Chen was imprisoned in Qincheng Prison for his leadership in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and subsequently expelled from school. In 1994, he was sentenced to five years in prison for organizing a "China Liberal Democratic Party," as well as for planning a commemoration of the Tiananmen Square protests. After he was released from prison, Chen resumed his writings critical of the CCP and continued to engage in human rights activities. On December 23, 2011, the CCP sentenced him to nine years in prison for "incitement to subvert state power."