Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Sep 23: Global watch-dog Human Rights Watch has called on Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Zhang Yadi, a 22-year-old student advocate for Tibetan rights, who was arrested in late July while visiting her family in China.
Zhang, also known as Tara, had been pursuing her studies in France when she returned home during the summer holidays. On July 31, 2025, she was arrested in Shangri-La, Yunnan province, and is believed to be held at a detention centre in her hometown of Changsha, Hunan province.
The human rights watchdog stated that if convicted under article 103(2) of China’s Criminal Law, which criminalises “inciting others to split the country and undermine national unity”, Zhang faces up to five years in prison, or up to 15 if deemed a ringleader.
Rights groups note that Chinese authorities frequently invoke this provision to silence peaceful critics, equating calls for dialogue on ethnic issues or minority rights with threats to national security. The law, broadly defined and politically applied, has been used to criminalise speech, writing, and online activity that diverges from the Communist Party’s official stance, particularly on sensitive issues such as Tibet, East Turkestan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
While in France, Zhang edited a Chinese-language digital platform promoting Tibetan rights and interethnic dialogue. She is a member of Chinese Youth Stand for Tibet, a group that emerged after the 2022 White Paper Protests against Beijing’s Zero-Covid policy. The group publishes writings on Tibetan culture, critiques of Han chauvinism, and perspectives on interethnic relations.
“The Chinese authorities are threatening to imprison 22-year-old student-activist Zhang Yadi for years for speaking out against racial injustice and peacefully exercising her rights like many young people around the world,” said Yalkun Uluyol, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities seem fearful of people building bridges across ethnic lines that deviate from the official Chinese Communist Party line.”
Zhang, fluent in four languages, had completed her undergraduate studies at the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris and was set to begin graduate studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London this September. Her arrest has sparked concern among fellow international students who fear repercussions for engaging with issues of social justice and minority rights.
Human Rights Watch noted that on September 16, prominent human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong was briefly detained while attempting to assist Zhang’s family in Changsha. Though released, his phone was reportedly confiscated. The rights group urged Chinese authorities to ensure Zhang’s access to independent legal counsel of her choice.
Zhang’s case reflects a broader pattern of repression against individuals advocating for minority rights in China. Past victims include Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 for “separatism”, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, who repeatedly spoke up for Tibet before his death in custody.
Human Rights Watch has called on governments, particularly France and the United Kingdom, to intervene. The French government, it said, should defend the rights of Chinese students to free expression, while Britain should press for Zhang’s release so that she may begin her studies in London.
“Zhang Yadi should be starting graduate school in London, not starting jail,” Uluyol stressed. “France, the UK, and other governments should press Beijing to free her and return her to her studies.”
