A coalition of press freedom and human rights NGOs, headed by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Amnesty International, has called for the Chinese regime to guarantee the full freedom of journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin, a leading figure in China's #MeToo movement. While she is due to be released in the coming days, she is likely to face surveillance and travel restrictions.
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On Friday, 18 September 2026, journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin will complete her prison sentence, but will still be deprived of her political rights, which bars her from practising journalism and travelling abroad, and subjects her to ongoing surveillance by the authorities. The coalition of 60 NGOs is calling on the Chinese authorities to guarantee her immediate release and to ensure that, once released, she can continue her journalism free from surveillance, harassment, retaliation, or any other restrictions.
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“After years of relentless harassment and abuse, it is time for the Chinese authorities to end their persecution of Sophia Huang Xueqin and restore her full freedom," says Aleksandra Bielakowska, Advocacy Manager at RSF Asia-Pacific
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Sophia Huang Xueqin's case exemplifies the Chinese regime's persecution of independent journalism. Authorities often persecute journalists after they have completed their sentences, as illustrated by the case of Zhang Zhan. After serving an initial four-year prison term, this journalist, who covered the outbreak of COVID-19, whose fate and whereabouts remained unknown following the completion of her sentence in 2024. Thanks to international mobilisation, she was released in May 2024, before being arrested again in August 2024, just a few months later, on fabricated charges. She was then sentenced to four more years in prison.
China is the world’s largest jailer of journalists, with 120 currently detained, and ranks 178th out of 180 countries and territories in the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index.
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Yeah, but you and they say subversion of the state, but in those degenerate capitalist countries we don't call criticizing the government subversion, we call it the 5th estate and a necessary part of a functioning government. Heck, in some of these places, we don't even call promoting secession subversion of the state, we call it voting. If the state is meeting the needs of its people well enough, it should not only be able to withstand criticism, but it will be easily dismissed by the population at large without having to silence or imprison their critics.
First off, I never used the term "degenerate." That's far more commonly used amongst fascists to refer to gender, sexual, and ethnic minorities in the west. Please don't imply that I would have used that term to describe capitalist countries.
Secondly, you're absolutely correct in saying that western countries view the media as essentially untouchable, and regulations on speech to be infringements on free speech. However, this is for two reasons:
In the context of an "open marketplace of journalism," private capital becomes the dictator of what speech is common. Fox, CNN, etc. become near monopolies on speech, without much state oversight to punish disinformation. Whoever has the most money decides what is said in such an environment, so touting freedom of speech becomes an ideological cover for the dominance of pro-capitalist speech.
It allows state-backed propaganda outlets like Radio Free Asia to operate more freely on the international stage.
This, however, only extends to pro-capitalist speech. Speech that undermines the system is still targeted if it gets too much attention. Socialist media like Breakthrough News has been historically targeted for censorship. The state also devotes billions to fighting against China ideologically.
China is well-aware that there is no such thing as universal "freedom of speech." The only class that has freedom of speech is the class in control of the state, as far as they represent the interests of that class. In the US, this means pro-capitalist speech, in China, this means pro-worker speech. China is more honest and open about it, without falsely clinging to ideals it doesn't actually uphold.