Yu Dongyue, Yu Zhijian and Lu Decheng are young men in their twenties who were sentenced to terms ranging from 16 years to life imprisonment following the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989. AI considers them to be prisoners of conscience. They are at present held in Lingling prison, where they were reportedly held initially in solitary confinement in small, dark, damp cells with inadequate sanitation. Yu Dongyue and Yu Zhijian remain in solitary confinement two-and-a-half years after their incarceration in Lingling; prison regulations stipulate that solitary confinement should last no longer than two weeks. AI is concerned by reports indicating that Yu Zhijian’s health has deteriorated dramatically; Yu Dongue’s mental state is reported to be poor.
