Chinese human rights lawyer Zhang Wenpeng is likely to soon be tried on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” in Sanya, China’s Hainan Province. Prosecutors indicted him on July 14, 2025, and transferred the case to court. Under Chinese law, a verdict should be issued within two to three months of the court accepting the case, meaning that a verdict for Zhang could be rendered as early as October 14.
On September 24, 2024, Sanya police detained Zhang on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” which was reportedly in retaliation for his consultancy on a corruption case involving a client. He is currently held at Sanya No. 2 Detention Center. Zhang has allegedly endured torture: his lawyer reported that in December 2024 Zhang was shackled in heavy chains for seven days and nights. His complaints about the abuse have been ignored or yielded unsatisfactory responses. While Zhang has been granted access to lawyers of his choice, in February 2025 the detention center denied his lawyer the opportunity to review Zhang’s case files with him. Their meetings have been monitored.