Jiangxi rights defender Xiao Gaosheng alleges forced long-hour labor in Ji'an Prison; says he was made to keep working after a workplace injury
According to an October 2 report by the rights news outlet Minsheng Guancha, Jiangxi rights defender Xiao Gaosheng has publicly alleged that during his imprisonment at Ji'an Prison in Jiangxi from 2023 to 2026, he was assigned long-hour labor and that the workshops suffered from exhausting workloads and workplace injuries. The report says that on November 9, 2025, his right index finger was injured while operating a snap-button machine, after which he was still required to keep working. Xiao says that after his release he reported the labor and supervision problems to the Jiangxi Justice Department, the procuratorate and prison authorities, but has not received what he considers a satisfactory response.
Why it matters
This is a case of a released prisoner publicly alleging abusive labor conditions in prison, under his real name and with a specific timeline (the 2023–2026 sentence, the November 9, 2025 injury date, and the post-release reporting channels), and he continues to pursue formal complaints after release. The specific allegations about labor conditions, personnel management and injury handling inside the prison currently come mainly from Xiao himself and rights channels, with no full response from the prison in public sources; this site has not independently verified them — hence the 'under ongoing verification' grading.
Full report
According to an October 2 report by Minsheng Guancha, Jiangxi rights defender Xiao Gaosheng has publicly alleged labor problems during his imprisonment. Xiao says that from 2023 to 2026, while serving his sentence at Ji'an Prison in Jiangxi Province, he was assigned long-hour labor, and the workshops suffered from exhausting workloads and workplace injuries. The report notes that on November 9, 2025, his right index finger was injured while operating a snap-button machine, after which he was still required to keep working. [1]
Xiao was seized by police in 2021 and later sentenced to four years and six months in prison on charges including 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble'; he was released on March 18, 2026. Xiao says that after his release he reported the labor and supervision problems during his sentence to the Jiangxi Provincial Justice Department, the procuratorate and prison management authorities, but has so far not received what he considers a satisfactory response. [1]
Verification note: this record documents the verifiable public act — Minsheng Guancha's report on Xiao Gaosheng's public allegations. The specific allegations about labor conditions, personnel management and injury handling inside the prison come mainly from Xiao himself and related rights channels, with no full response from the prison side in public sources; the facts still await more evidence and statements from all parties. This site will continue to follow up. [1]
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.