Chinese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Zhang Yadi, an advocate for Tibetan rights who had been an international student in France, Human Rights Watch said today. If convicted under article 103(2) of China's Criminal Law, which prohibits "inciting others to split the country and undermine national unity," she faces up to 5 years in prison, or up to 15 if found to be a ringleader.
While studying in France, Zhang Yadi (张雅笛, also known as Tara), 22, edited a Chinese language digital platform promoting Tibetan rights and interethnic dialogue. She had returned to China during the summer holidays when authorities arrested her on July 31, 2025, in Shangri-La, a city in Yunnan province, China. She is believed to be held in a detention center in her hometown in Changsha City, Hunan province.
"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, 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."
The authorities should drop all charges against Zhang and ensure that her rights to the legal counsel of her choosing are respected, Human Rights Watch said. On September 16, the prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong was briefly detained when he traveled to Changsha to provide legal assistance to Zhang's family. He was later released, but his phone was reportedly confiscated.
Zhang is part of Chinese Youth Stand for Tibet (华语青年挺藏会), which emerged after the November 2022 White Paper Protests, when protesters held up blank sheets of paper to oppose Beijing's draconian Zero-Covid policy. The group publishes articles on Substack that aim to "foster a deeper understanding of Tibetan culture within Chinese-speaking communities, challenge and deconstruct Han chauvinism, and address ethnic conflicts and prejudice." Recent posts include profiles of a Tibetan musician and a female entrepreneur, a letter from a mainland Chinese reader, and writings in Chinese that provide Tibetan perspectives on Tibet.
Zhang, who is fluent in Chinese, French, Tibetan, and English, was studying at the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESPC Business School) in Paris. She had obtained a scholarship to begin graduate studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London in September.
Some Chinese international students have become concerned about severe repression in Tibet and Xinjiang after experiencing racism in their host countries during the Covid-19 pandemic, and were inspired by racial and social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter in the United States. However, Beijing subjects these students to surveillance, harassment, and other forms of transnational repression. They face the risk of arbitrary detention and prosecution when they return home.
The Chinese government has long persecuted those who have acted to improve the situation of ethnic minorities in China, Human Rights Watch said. These include Ilham Tohti, the Uyghur economics professor and Sakharov Prize winner, who was imprisoned for life in 2014 for "separatism," including creating a website that aimed to "provide Uyghurs and Han Chinese with a platform for discussion and exchange." Seven of his students and volunteers for the platform were also imprisoned. The late Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo and the activist Hu Jia also repeatedly spoke out for Tibetan rights.
Concerned governments should publicly raise Zhang Yadi's case with the Chinese government and press for her immediate and unconditional release. The French government should raise Zhang's prosecution as interfering in the rights to freedom of expression and association of Chinese students who are studying in France. The British government should seek Zhang's immediate release so that she can begin her studies in England.
"Zhang Yadi should be starting graduate school in London, not starting jail," Uluyol said. "France, the UK, and other governments should press Beijing to free her and return her to her studies."
