The Chinese authorities must immediately release Zhang Yi as he has been detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights. Zhang Yi was detained by police in Lhasa on 1 July 2026 while visiting Sera Monastery in Tibet with his younger brother. Police detained Zhang Yi before he had left the monastery. Zhang Yi was detained on the same day that China’s Ethnic Unity Law entered into force on 1 July 2026. Zhang Yi is a prominent Chinese pro-democracy activist and human rights defender from Wuhan, Hubei province.