Nanjing rights defender Shi Tingfu reported dead in Xinjiang's Shahe Prison on September 22; prison says 'heart attack', family questions account

Full report

Update (October 14, 2026): The independent Chinese-language platform ChinaFocus published an evidence-chain investigation into Shi Tingfu's death on October 14, adding new timeline and health-history details: the report says Shi died at around 5pm on September 22 at Shahe Prison, and his son received a call from the prison informing him of the death at around 10:30pm that night, with the body kept at a funeral home. Citing Radio Free Asia's July 2024 reporting, it says Shi suffered from hypertension, pneumonia, diabetes, lumbar disc herniation, joint and rheumatic conditions while at the Alaer detention centre, with blood pressure reportedly exceeding 200 at times; in a phone call with his son on April 17, 2025, he said he felt 'weak all over, every day'. The report also notes that, as of publication, no death certificate, medical assessment, resuscitation record or autopsy conclusion had been released in public channels by Shahe Prison, the Corps prison administration, the procuratorate or any hospital — 'heart attack' remains the prison's verbal account to the family rather than a conclusion confirmed by independent medical evidence. These details come mainly from family phone accounts and periodic bulletins by rights groups and human rights organisations; this site cannot independently verify the medical records and keeps this record graded 'under ongoing verification'. [6]

According to Prisoner Updates #9 published October 7 by the Dui Hua Foundation, Nanjing rights defender Shi Tingfu died on September 22, 2026 in Xinjiang's Shahe Prison, less than four months before his scheduled release on January 14, 2027. Prison authorities told his son the cause was a heart attack; but the son said his father had appeared well and reported no discomfort during a recent visit. [1]

Shi was detained in Xinjiang on January 15, 2024: he had been helping Xinjiang fruit growers defend their rights and had passed their petition materials to overseas journalists. He was formally arrested on February 8, 2024 on suspicion of 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble'; on July 16 that year the Aral Court of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps sentenced him to three years in prison, with the term running to January 14, 2027, and he was held at Shahe Prison of the First Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. [1][2]

Shi was a longtime democracy and human rights activist who had been detained and sentenced repeatedly, including over June 4 street speeches. In March 2025 he and Quan Shixin were named co-recipients of the 11th Cao Shunli Memorial Award for Human Rights Defenders, honoring their courage in persisting in human rights activism at the risk of state reprisal. [3]

Reports of Shi's death are corroborated across sources: the Xinjiang Victims Database blog listed him on September 30 among three documented victims who died in September 2026; the Human Rights in China (HRIC) weekly brief in late September also noted the case; and Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) posted on LinkedIn demanding the authorities hand over Shi's medical records and details of any treatment he requested and received. [2][4][5]

Verification note: this record documents the verifiable public act — multiple organisations reporting Shi Tingfu's death in custody. The date, place, identity and sentence details are consistent across Dui Hua, the Xinjiang Victims Database and HRIC; but the exact cause of death (the prison says 'heart attack') and whether timely treatment was provided rest only on the prison's one-sided account versus the family's doubts, with no independent autopsy or medical records public, and cannot be independently confirmed by this site. This site will continue to follow the family's demands and any response from the authorities. [1][2][4][5]