On July 31, 2025, Chinese authorities arrested Zhang Yadi, a student at the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris and editor of the platform Chinese Youth Stand for Tibet (CYST).

During her studies in France, Yadi focused her activism on promoting dialogue and cultural understanding between ethnic groups in China, particularly Han and Tibetan communities. Yadi returned to Changsha, Hunan province, on July 5, 2025 to visit family before beginning a graduate program in anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London.

On July 30, 2025, Yadi disappeared in Shangri-La, Yunnan province. The following day, Chinese authorities informed her family that she had been arrested and charged under Article 103 (2) of China’s Criminal Law. The specific allegations included  “endangering national security” and “inciting others to split the country and undermine national unity.” If convicted, she would face up to five years in prison, or up to fifteen years if determined to be a “ringleader.”

Yadi was believed to be held incommunicado in a detention center in Changsha. Although her family hired a lawyer, authorities denied them permission to meet with her. On September 16, 2025, Jiang Tianyong, a prominent human rights lawyer, arrived in Changsha to provide legal advice to Yadi’s mother. Police briefly detained Jiang and confiscated his phone before releasing him later that day.

Yadi’s arrest occurred amid an increase in transnational repression targeting individuals who advocate for the rights of ethnic minorities in China while abroad. Scholars and students have faced arbitrary detention and prosecution upon their return to the country, notably seen in the case of Ilham Toti (see report). Human rights organizations condemned Yadi’s arrest as an act of retaliation for her student activism abroad.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the detention of a student, apparently as a result of nonviolent expressive activity – conduct which is expressly protected under international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. State officials have an obligation to comply with internationally recognized standards of due process, fair trial, free expression and freedom of association, and to ensure the well-being of criminal defendants while they are in custody.

Sources:
https://www.rfa.org/english/china/2025/09/18/zhang-yadi-tara-tibet-china-transnational-repression/
https://www.fortifyrights.org/eas-inv-2025-10-21
https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/09/23/china-free-student-advocate-for-tibetan-rights