Chen Yun Fei was accused of "silentness" in official arrest: seven weeks from Gansu administrative detention to Chengdu criminal proceedings

New procedural changes have occurred in recent days in the detention status of Chengdu rights defenders and Autumn Church of the Church of the Holy Covenant, a friend of Chen Yun Fei. From 23 to 24 September, respectively, Human Rights Watch and the Movement reported that Chen Yun Fei had been formally arrested by the police of Winjiang district, a city, on suspicion of “stalking”. Both institutions stated that information was received from Chen Yun Fei ' s relatives in contact with local national security personnel; As of the time of publication, no official arrest notice had been received by the family.

No restoration of liberty after the expiration of administrative detention

Available public information indicates that Chen Yun Fei was under local police control during Gansu ' s travel in early August this year. According to Human Rights Watch, on 5 August, the Subei County Public Security organ sentenced him to 12 days of administrative detention on suspicion of indecent assault. After the end of his detention on 17 August, he was not released but was handed over to the Chengdu police.

The legal situation of Chen Yun Fei changed for more than a month. (a) The Chinese Aid Association quoted his nephew in late August as saying that Chengdu’s agents had informed Chen Yun Fei that he had been taken back to Winjiang, but had not indicated the specific place of detention; According to the latest report of Human Life Watch, on 23 September, the police disclosed to the family that he had been formally arrested on charges of “stalking”.

Allegations of a different nature in the same incident

A notable feature of this case is the emergence of a series of highly variable suspicions in the public domain. According to Human Rights Watch, Chen Yun Fei was initially involved in “indecency” when he was in administrative detention in Gansu; The following year, family members and church figures have referred to the use of the police as “a threat to national security”; The latest news is that the arrests were officially carried out with the help of “stalking”.

This information is currently mainly from family members, church members and human rights institutions, and the police have not publicly released a full statement of the case. What is the relationship between the various stages of the charges, whether the relevant administrative sanction materials, the criminal detention notice and the arrest document have been served, and the lack of publicly verifiable official documents?

“Sticking the way” is not the first criminal offence Chen Yun Fei faced.

Chen Yun Fei has long been involved in public issues and advocacy activities. Public sentences and past reports from various media indicate that he served two sentences in criminal cases, at least one of which involved the crime of “silentness”. In March 2025, he was released after completing his previous four-year sentence.

The conflict between him and the police did not cease in the months following his release. Radio Free Asia reported in June this year that Chen Yun Fei has been summoned for social media statements and public events on several occasions; Some of the details in the report were from Chen Yun Fei, who did not receive a response from the police.

This was followed by the publication by Humans Watch of materials for the assessment of injuries following the beating of Chen Yun Fei early this year, including a judicial opinion and police notification. This incident was not the same as the arrest, but it shows that Chen Yun Fei was in continuing legal controversy and police contact before he was re-detained.

Current confirmation of boundary with which no confirmation is yet possible

(a) At present, it is possible to verify from various open sources that Chen Yun Fei was held in administrative detention in Gansu in August, after which he was transferred to the police and then brought before the criminal detention procedure; In late September, the family learned that he had been formally arrested under the name of “silent search”. Where it is not possible to confirm from public official documents, this includes the full factual basis of the initial allegations of administrative detention, whether the Chengdu police formally opened a case “inimical to national security”, the current specific place of detention and whether the arrest notice was served to immediate family members in accordance with the law.

From a procedural point of view, a formal arrest implies that the case has moved further from a previously non-transparent detention to a criminal investigation stage. The most critical public information that follows will be the lawyer ' s meeting, written legal instruments, case-handling bodies and the factual scope of the case. The record of these procedural facts is more indicative of the actual progress of the case than the inference of unsubstantiated allegations.