Zhang Po, a coal miner from Huainan, Anhui province, faced a life-altering accident just a year after graduating. In 1999, while working in a coal mine, an uncontrolled mine-cart collided with him, causing injuries that abruptly ended his promising career. Since that fateful day, Zhang has relied on disability allowances from his former employer, but in a shocking turn of events, he found himself hospitalized once more in 2024, this time in a psychiatric ward.

In June, Zhang was sectioned for a grueling 22 days after staging a protest outside his former employer's office, where he demanded an increase in his disability allowance. In a recent interview with Chinese media, Zhang recounted the harrowing conditions he faced while institutionalized: “I endured more than 20 days of humiliation in there. There was no phone, and my belt and shoelaces were taken away.” He described how he was subjected to forced medication and was restrained to his bed for hours each day. After enduring nearly three weeks of treatment, he was sentenced to an additional eight days in administrative detention for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”

Upon the media's coverage of Zhang's situation, his story gained significant traction on social media, with related hashtags amassing nearly 40 million views on Weibo by April. One commentator expressed a profound concern: “If even the law cannot stop a mental illness diagnosis, how can ordinary people prove themselves to be normal?” The sentiment resonated with many, as it reflected a pervasive fear among individuals that a diagnosis could be used to silence dissent. “When power can arbitrarily define madness and non-madness, everyone will live in fear of disappearing!”

Zhang’s case is not an isolated incident. Despite the establishment of a progressive mental health law in China over a decade ago, which was intended to curb such abuses, victims and advocates reveal that the practice of involuntary hospitalization remains widespread. This alarming trend is exacerbated by a weakened civil society, which hampers efforts to safeguard individual rights.

Another victim, Zhang Youmiao, shares a similar experience. Though unrelated to Zhang Po, they too have faced the consequences of being sectioned. Now 26, Zhang Youmiao describes their ongoing struggle to comprehend the trauma of their own involuntary hospitalization in 2018 and 2019. At that time, they were a vocational student living with their parents in Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province. For years, the family had been awaiting compensation for the demolition of homes in their urban village as part of a government reconstruction project.

In August 2018, Zhang Youmiao participated in a small protest outside the provincial government, but their activism resulted in arrest. Subsequently, they were taken to a psychiatric hospital where they were restrained and forcibly medicated. “I tried not to swallow those pills by hiding the medicine between my teeth and my cheek and spitting it out afterwards,” they recalled. Under pressure from the police who suggested that Zhang’s non-binary gender identity could be construed as a mental illness, their parents were convinced to consent to treatment.

The backdrop of these harrowing experiences is China’s mental health law, enacted in 2012, which permits authorities to detain individuals labeled as “troublemakers” without their consent or that of their relatives. While many countries uphold similar legal provisions, critics argue that in China, the system is highly vulnerable to abuse due to a lack of accountability and oversight. A recent investigation by the BBC unveiled disturbing practices where simply criticizing the Chinese Communist Party could lead to a psychiatric diagnosis.

Huang Xuetao, an attorney specializing in the rights of people with mental disabilities, advocates for reforms to ensure that no one can have their rights revoked without due process. “The idea behind ‘being labelled mentally ill’ implies that it is unjust to deprive civil rights from someone without a mental illness – but acceptable if the person truly has one. This very mindset sustains the structural trap within the psychiatric system,” she argues. Without a fundamental challenge to this perception, abuses within the psychiatric system are likely to persist.

Zhang Youmiao's ordeal continued, as they were detained for a total of 22 days without receiving a formal psychiatric diagnosis. The doctors, some of whom expressed sympathy, even suggested seeking political asylum abroad. “I didn’t view my behavior as political; I was just protecting my rights,” Zhang stated, highlighting the confusion and injustice felt by many victims.

Efforts to seek accountability for such abuses are met with overwhelming obstacles. Since the mental health law's inception in 2013, over 100 individuals have attempted to pursue legal cases against hospitals and local authorities for involuntary hospitalization. However, very few have succeeded. One notable case is that of Shenzhen-based lawyer Zeng Yuan, who was detained for four days following a dispute with police. Despite a ruling from the Shenzhen health commission stating that her medical records did not support a severe mental disorder diagnosis, she lost her legal battle.

Zeng, who represented herself, remarked, “If you directly accuse the government of violating the law, it’s basically impossible to find a lawyer in the commercial field who will represent you.” The Equity and Justice Initiative, an NGO that once provided legal assistance to those seeking to challenge civil rights abuses, has been severely hampered by stricter laws regarding foreign funding.

As many victims turn to social media for redress, public pressure is slowly building. After the media spotlight on Zhang Po's case, local officials promised to investigate his grievances. Zeng shares her experiences through blog posts on WeChat, although her writings are often censored. Still, she remains hopeful that one day, the court may acknowledge the wrongs she faced. “Since I’ve experienced such behavior, why can’t I point out what they did wrong? I don’t need to swallow my anger. I don’t need to remain silent,” she asserts with conviction.

Attempts to reach China’s ministry of public security and national health commission for comments on these issues went unanswered.

Additional research for this article was conducted by Jason Tzu Kuan Lu.