香港画家指深圳警方非法羁押翻墙网民：称向派出所说明“翻墙不违法”的法律界定后，警方释放其朋友Hong Kong painter says Shenzhen police released a VPN user after he explained to officers that 'using a VPN is not illegal'

据大纪元新闻网 10 月 18 日报道，中共当局今年以来持续收紧网络管控，多地传出网民因翻墙遭处罚。一名香港画家近日透露，他先前赴内地协助一名因使用 VPN 被羁押的朋友。经他向派出所反复说明 VPN 的法律界定、强调其使用的合规性后，当地警方最终将人释放。[1]According to the Epoch Times on October 18, 2026, Chinese authorities have continued tightening internet controls this year, with multiple reports of netizens punished for circumventing the firewall. A Hong Kong painter recently said he travelled to the mainland to help a friend who had been detained for using a VPN. After he repeatedly explained to the police station the legal definition of VPN use — stressing that it was compliant — the local police eventually released the person. [1]

为什么重要WHY IT MATTERS

这篇报道值得记录，有两个原因。其一，它落在 2026 年网络管控持续收紧的语境里：大纪元称今年以来多地传出网民因翻墙遭罚，“翻墙”入罪与否的边界正在成为公共议题——画家口中“翻墙不违法”的法律界定，正是这个边界争议的一个具体切面。其二，它提供了一个罕见的“交涉成功”样本：不是被罚款、被训诫、被刑拘的记录，而是一次当事人据称通过讲法律把人从派出所领出来的经历，无论其法律论证是否成立，作为一种公民应对执法的叙事，本身有记录价值。需要保守对待的是：报道没有公开画家姓名、朋友身份、具体派出所与时间；“非法羁押”是画家本人的指称，释放的直接原因也未见警方或第三方佐证。故本记录定性为持续核实，记录的是大纪元对画家说法的报道。[1][2]This report is worth recording for two reasons. First, it sits in the context of tightening internet controls in 2026: the Epoch Times says multiple cases of netizens punished for 'climbing the wall' have emerged this year, and the boundary of whether circumvention is a crime is becoming a public question — the painter's claim that 'using a VPN is not illegal' is one concrete cut of that boundary dispute. Second, it offers a rare 'successful negotiation' case: not a record of a fine, a warning or criminal detention, but an account of someone getting a person out of a police station by arguing the law — a civic response narrative that has documentary value whether or not his legal argument holds. A conservative note: the report does not name the painter, the friend, the police station or the dates; 'illegal detention' is the painter's own characterisation, and the direct cause of the release has no police or third-party corroboration. This record documents the Epoch Times' reporting of the painter's account — hence 'under ongoing verification'. [1][2]

详细记录Full report

据大纪元新闻网 10 月 18 日报道，中共当局今年以来持续收紧网络管控，多地传出网民因翻墙遭处罚。一名香港画家近日透露，他先前赴内地协助一名因使用 VPN 被羁押的朋友。经他向派出所反复说明 VPN 的法律界定并强调其合规性后，当地警方最终将人释放。报道中没有公开画家的姓名、被羁押朋友的身份、涉事派出所与具体时间。[1]

“翻墙”在中国的法律地位有明确的法条基础。根据 UpToGo 2026 年 4 月整理的中国现行法律与官方公告，未经授权使用 VPN 或其他翻墙工具绕过网络监管，依然属于违法行为——2025 年网传“翻墙合法化”系假消息；针对外贸企业的专线放宽政策被误读为了针对普通民众。但法条的严苛与实际执法的宽松之间，存在一条行政成本与经济考量决定的灰色地带：单纯个人浏览外网（如查资料、看视频）被查处的常见后果是口头警告、强制删除软件，或处以 500 至 1000 元人民币的行政罚款；警方打击的重点是贩售翻墙工具的源头，以及借 VPN 散布危害国家安全言论的本国公民。这组“法条严苛、执法有灰色地带”的格局，与画家描述的“说清法律界定后获释”相互呼应，但不能替代对本案事实的独立核实。[2]

核实说明：本记录记录的是大纪元新闻网对香港画家本人说法的报道。当事人身份、羁押与释放的具体过程（包括被羁押的时间地点、派出所释放的直接原因）均无第二来源印证；警方未就此事发表任何公开说明。故本记录定性为持续核实，并继续寻找可交叉验证的信息。[1][2]

According to the Epoch Times on October 18, 2026, Chinese authorities have continued tightening internet controls this year, with multiple reports of netizens punished for circumventing the firewall. A Hong Kong painter recently said he travelled to the mainland to help a friend who had been detained for using a VPN. After he repeatedly explained to the police station the legal definition of VPN use and stressed its compliance, the local police eventually released the person. The report discloses neither the painter's name, the detained friend's identity, the police station involved, nor the specific dates. [1]

The legal status of 'climbing the wall' in China has a clear statutory basis. According to UpToGo's April 2026 summary of current Chinese law and official notices, using a VPN or other circumvention tools to bypass internet regulation without authorisation remains illegal — the 2025 online rumour that circumvention had been 'legalised' was false, and a policy loosening dedicated lines for foreign-trade companies was misread as applying to ordinary citizens. But between the severity of the letter of the law and the leniency of actual enforcement lies a grey zone determined by administrative cost and economic considerations: the common consequences for a person caught merely browsing the foreign internet (research, videos) are a verbal warning, forced deletion of the software, or an administrative fine of 500 to 1,000 yuan; enforcement focuses on sellers of circumvention tools and citizens who use VPNs to spread content endangering national security. This 'strict letter, grey enforcement' pattern is consistent with the painter's account of release after explaining the law — but it cannot substitute for independent verification of this case's facts. [2]

Verification note: this record documents the Epoch Times' reporting of the Hong Kong painter's account. The identities of those involved and the details of the detention and release (including the dates, places and the direct cause of the release) have no second-source corroboration; the police have issued no public statement on the matter. This record is therefore graded 'under ongoing verification', and this site will continue to look for cross-checkable information. [1][2]

核实来源

Primary sources

上述链接是所引用报告或评估的原始发布方。其结论已在正文中明确归属，不代表本站独立完成了全部事实认定。Links above point to the original publishers of the cited reports or assessments. Their conclusions are attributed in the text and do not imply that this site has independently verified every factual claim.