Li Yixue "Institutionalized Again for Mental Illness," Sparking Outrage Among Chinese Netizens

On December 22, Chinese activist Jieli Jian organized a protest outside the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles. Protesters not only expressed solidarity with Jiangxi internet personality and rights advocate Li Yixue but also demanded the CCP release all individuals persecuted under the guise of "mental illness," including He Fangmei, Dong Yaoqiong, and Wu Yanan. (Photo provided by Jieli Jian/VOA)

People News - Li Yixue, a rights advocate from Nanchang, Jiangxi, has garnered significant attention from Chinese netizens over the past two years for exposing the use of psychiatric hospitals as "black jails" by local authorities. On Sunday, December 22, the local Public Security Bureau announced that Li had been diagnosed with "personality disorder" and forcibly institutionalized for the second time. The news triggered widespread skepticism among Chinese netizens, while overseas activists launched the "Snowflake Movement," calling for Li's release and condemning the CCP's practice of silencing dissent and rights advocates by labeling them as mentally ill.

According to Voice of America, Li Yixue, a woman in her early 20s, graduated from Northwestern University of Finance and Economics two years ago. At the time, she reported being sexually harassed by an auxiliary police officer surnamed Lai but was instead sent to a psychiatric hospital for 56 days of forced treatment.

National Attention on Li Yixue’s Case

After her release, Li began posting videos recounting her experience and accusing the local psychiatric hospital of functioning as a "black jail" under police control. She also filed a lawsuit against the Jiangxi Provincial Psychiatric Hospital for "medical malpractice liability," though the case remains unresolved. Her story has drawn widespread attention, with her recent videos receiving view counts ranging from tens of thousands to 1.5 million, and her Douyin account garnering over 9.5 million likes in total.

Since mid-December, Li repeatedly posted calls for help, claiming that police had threatened her and even forced their way into her home. She briefly disappeared, sparking nationwide concern for her safety. Some netizens demanded answers from local authorities, prompting Nanchang officials to issue a statement assuring the public that Li was "safe at home." However, her situation has taken a dramatic turn.

According to the latest announcement released by the Nanchang Public Security Bureau on Sunday, Li Yixue has been sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment for the second time. The news immediately sparked widespread skepticism among Chinese netizens and briefly trended on Weibo. However, related keywords now appear to have been censored.

Second Forced Hospitalization

On December 22, the Nanchang Public Security Bureau issued a notice stating that since November, the Kuazixiang Police Station had been mediating a dispute involving Li Yixue over allegations of defamation against a Hunan netizen during a livestream. On November 8, Li Yixue reportedly "realized her actions were unlawful and voluntarily submitted a written request, asking to engage a judicial evaluation of her mental state and behavioral capacity by an authoritative institution in Beijing."

The notice claimed that the police station entrusted Beijing Anding Hospital, affiliated with Capital Medical University, to conduct an evaluation at Li Yixue's residence on the night of December 13, from 11:45 p.m. to 12:55 a.m. the following day. The entire process was reportedly "recorded and videotaped in accordance with laws and regulations." Additionally, Li Yixue's father was questioned from 1:26 a.m. to 2:26 a.m. on December 14.

At the same time, Li Yixue posted a video on Douyin alleging that more than ten officers from the Kuai Zi Xiang police station had broken into her home, destroyed her security cameras, and forcibly taken her away. After this, her account ceased updates, raising widespread concern.

In its final assessment on December 21, Beijing Anding Hospital diagnosed Li with "obsessive-compulsive disorder and personality disorder," concluding that she was fully responsible for her actions at the time of her alleged offenses. On December 22, local authorities institutionalized her under the pretext of "legal and regulatory compliance," citing her mental health condition.

Chinese Netizens Voice Doubts

The situation has sparked heated discussions on Weibo. Under a related news post by Legal Daily, over 500 comments expressed skepticism.

For example, a Macau-based user, “多魯米娜亞的悉達,” commented, “Is Jiangxi authorities persecuting Li Yixue again?”

A Guangdong user, “把寂寞交給黑夜,” remarked, “Having watched Li Yixue’s videos, her logical thinking and eloquence are just as sharp as the country’s diplomats. I don’t believe she’s mentally ill.”

A Guizhou user, “天使璇嵂--cindy,” posted twice, urging, “Please save Li Yixue. She definitely knows some secret and was forcibly sent to the hospital because of it,” and, “There’s undoubtedly something shady here, so they’re silencing her.”

Netizens also pointed out numerous inconsistencies: Why does a community office have the authority to send someone to a psychiatric hospital? Why did Beijing Anding Hospital conduct an evaluation at Li Yixue’s home in the middle of the night? Furthermore, if Li was assessed as having full responsibility for her actions, why was she still deemed in need of psychiatric hospitalization? They also questioned why her family has not spoken out.

Others voiced fears of becoming the next Li Yixue.

A Guangdong blogger, “璽贏電商直播短視頻帶貨,” commented, “If we don’t pay attention to this, any of us could be the next to end up there, right?”

A NetEase account, “雨秋閒話,” posted a detailed analysis on December 22, stating that while platforms are suppressing discussions, and the topic is being kept off trending lists, for most netizens, the Li Yixue case should be the number one trending issue. The public’s focus reflects broader concerns about psychiatric hospital abuses in China.

The "Snowflake Movement" Abroad

Li Yixue’s second hospitalization has also stirred debates among human rights lawyers in China and overseas Chinese pro-democracy activists. A YouTube channel host, “Du Wen (杜文) from Inner Mongolia,” launched the “Snowflake Movement” abroad, aiming to amplify calls for Li’s release.

In Los Angeles, Chinese activist Jieli Jian led a protest outside the Chinese consulate on December 22. Protesters not only supported Li Yixue but also demanded the release of He Fangmei, Dong Yaoqiong, Wu Yanan, and other individuals persecuted under the pretext of mental illness.

Jieli Jian himself endured years of torture in a psychiatric hospital under the CCP. Speaking to Voice of America, he stated that the regime targeted Li Yixue because she exposed the system of “black jail” psychiatric hospitals and the CCP’s suppression of dissent.

“Li Yixue, such a young girl, is standing up against not just the Jiangxi psychiatric hospital but the entire CCP system—whether it’s the medical interest chain, or the use of psychiatric hospitals as concentration camps for petitioners and rights defenders,” Jieli Jian said.

Based on his experience, Jian fears that Li Yixue’s second confinement could be horrifying, potentially longer than the first, with forced measures like drugging that could leave her disabled or mentally impaired.

He warned that the CCP is concerned about others following her example, using the internet to defend their rights and creating social instability. From her videos, Jian noted that Li speaks with clear logic, sharp reasoning, and solid evidence. If her “unyielding personality” and refusal to compromise have led to her institutionalization, Jian argues, it reflects that it is not Li who is ill, but the entire Chinese system.

Jian also highlighted the CCP’s use of intimidation tactics to silence others. Li’s friend Chen Li and several donors to her cause have reportedly been threatened. On December 23, a lawyer named Fang Jian was detained by police while live-streaming his support for Li Yixue on Douyin, despite having over 4,000 viewers at the time.

A Beijing human rights lawyer, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case, told Voice of America that there are numerous examples of Chinese petitioners, dissidents, and activists being silenced and “institutionalized” for stability maintenance. He himself had represented two such cases, with one ending in victory and yielding compensation of several thousand yuan.

However, he emphasized that the psychological and physical scars left by such experiences cannot be healed with money.

“Even if someone goes into a psychiatric hospital without a mental illness, they’ll come out with one. The forced treatments—drugging, torture, abuse—are extremely severe,” the lawyer said.

The international human rights organization Safeguard Defenders released a report in August 2022 detailing the CCP’s longstanding practice of forcibly institutionalizing petitioners, activists, and other vulnerable groups without proper legal procedures or medical justification. These individuals are sent to so-called “Ankang Hospitals,” psychiatric facilities under the control of the public security system.

The report documented 99 victims who were institutionalized a total of 144 times between 2015 and 2021 in 109 psychiatric hospitals across 21 provinces and regions. Many reported beatings, electric shocks, or injections of unknown substances, leaving them with severe physical and psychological trauma.

Alarmingly, one-third of the victims were repeatedly sent to psychiatric hospitals, with nearly half confined for over six months. Nine individuals were detained for more than ten years.