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On the first anniversary of her sentencing, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has renewed its call for the immediate release of Chinese journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin. Huang, whose investigative reporting was instrumental in sparking China’s #MeToo movement, was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of inciting “subversion of state power.”
RSF condemned the verdict as arbitrary and politically motivated, highlighting that Huang has endured over 500 days of pretrial detention, much of it in solitary confinement. The organization emphasized that Huang’s work as a journalist and advocate does not constitute a crime and that her imprisonment signals a wider crackdown on press freedom and feminist activism in China.
Huang emerged as one of the earliest and most prominent voices in China’s #MeToo movement in 2018 after publishing a survey that exposed the widespread prevalence of sexual harassment in Chinese newsrooms. Her reporting galvanized national awareness and empowered survivors to speak out against abuse in universities and workplaces. Despite intensified state surveillance, Huang persisted in her activism, supporting victims in high-profile misconduct cases and advocating for broader gender equality reforms.
In September 2021, Huang was detained alongside labor rights advocate Wang Jianbing, just days before they were scheduled to leave China to pursue further studies abroad. Huang’s subsequent five-year sentence followed a closed-door trial in which she was convicted of “subversion of the state.”
The United States government has strongly condemned the convictions of both Huang and Wang. The U.S. State Department described the case as part of a broader campaign by Chinese authorities to intimidate and silence civil society actors. It called for the immediate release of the activists and warned that such prosecutions undermine fundamental rights to freedom of expression and assembly.
Huang’s case has become emblematic of a wider pattern in China, where journalists, activists, and lawyers face prosecution under national security laws aimed at suppressing dissent. As she begins her second year of imprisonment, Huang has become a global symbol of resistance against authoritarian repression and gender-based injustice. Her supporters continue to advocate internationally to maintain visibility on her case.
Excerpts from Jurist.com article by Sandy Almarradweh | University of Ottawa Faculty of Law
