China Should Immediately Release Min Zin

 (LONDON, July 1, 2026)—Chinese authorities should immediately and unconditionally release Myanmar scholar and Institute for Strategic and Policy Studies (ISP Myanmar) Executive Director Min Zin, Fortify Rights said today. His detention raises serious concerns regarding transparency, due process, and the use of detention and national security allegations to restrict fundamental freedoms.

“The Chinese government has repeatedly invoked national security as a justification for restricting fundamental freedoms and silencing critical voices,” said Benedict Rogers, Senior Director at Fortify Rights. “The detention of Min Zin raises serious concerns not only for his rights and well-being, but also for scholars, researchers, journalists, and those engaged in public affairs.”

On June 3, 2026, the Chinese authorities reportedly detained Min Zin in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian later stated that Min Zin was under investigation for espionage and endangering China's national security. Beyond those allegations, Chinese authorities have disclosed little information about the legal basis for his detention or the evidence supporting the case.
 
On June 17, 2026, ISP Myanmar said Min Zin was detained while traveling to Kunming "for the sole purpose of attending an academic workshop" and called for his immediate and unconditional release.
 
Min Zin's detention comes amid deepening engagement between China and the Myanmar military junta. From June 15 to 19, 2026, Myanmar military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing visited China, meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior officials.
 
Min Zin was a student activist during the 1988 pro-democracy movement in Myanmar and later went to the U.S. for graduate studies, eventually becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. He is currently the Executive Director of ISP-Myanmar, an independent, non-partisan, and non-governmental think tank. ISP Myanmar also maintains a dedicated China Studies program and has published research on China's political and economic influence in Myanmar, including analyses of China-Myanmar border trade, Beijing's role in Myanmar's post-coup landscape, and rare-earth mining linked to exports to China.
 
Min Zin’s detention reflects broader concerns regarding the use of national security and other broadly defined laws to restrict fundamental freedoms in China. On June 26, 2020, nearly 50 U.N. independent experts expressed concern over the human rights situation in China, including the repression of human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and other critical voices, and warned that restrictive national security, anti-terrorism, and other laws were being used to undermine fundamental freedoms.
 
Fortify Rights has repeatedly documented and condemned the Chinese government's use of restrictive security laws and other restrictive measures to suppress fundamental freedoms, silence critics, and target journalists, human rights defenders, students, religious leaders, and other independent voices.
 
More than three weeks after his detention in China, the authorities have failed to provide adequate information about the legal basis for Min Zin's detention, raising serious concerns about whether they are complying with fundamental due process guarantees, including his rights to legal counsel, consular assistance, and to be promptly informed of the reasons for his arrest and any charges brought against him.

“This case extends beyond Min Zin himself,” said Benedict Rogers. “The detention of a scholar traveling to attend an academic workshop, combined with the limited information made public about the case, raises broader concerns about transparency, academic freedom, and the treatment of those who research, analyze, and write about China.”

Note: On June 17, 2026, Fortify Rights retracted an earlier news release that discussed the cases of Min Zin and Adam Castillo, following new developments and additional information regarding the arrest of Castillo. Their respective cases are not linked in any way.