Chen Renjie, publisher

                                                                             Arrested: July 1983 

Chen Renjie was sentenced to life in prison after having launched the Ziyou Bao (Freedom Report) publication. 

Chen is, together with Lin Youping, the longest-serving journalist in China. Together with journalists Lin Youping and Chen Biling, Renjie launched the dissident publication Ziyou Bao in September 1982. Ten months later, the three journalists were arrested and found guilty of "propaganda and incitement to overthrow the democratic dictatorship of the proletariat and of the socialist system" as well as spying for Taiwan. Chen Renjie was sentenced to prison for life and Lin was sentenced to death, later commuted to a life sentence. Chen Biling was sentenced to death for and executed a few months later. Renjie and Lin are serving their sentences in Fuzhou in south-eastern Fujian province.

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