Lawyers say that officials trying to meet quotas are improperly labelling crimes as gang-related and even turning to torture
3-MIN READ3-MINPhoebe Zhangin ShenzhenPublished: 10:00am, 16 Aug 2026During a crackdown on organised crime, Zeng Jianbin, a real estate developer in Mianyang, southwestern China’s Sichuan province, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for being a “gang leader”.
In 2023, the Mianyang Intermediate People’s Court convicted Zeng of nine offences, including provoking trouble, illegal lending at high interest and intentional destruction of property. His sentence was particularly harsh because of the organised nature of the crimes.
This May, the higher court sent the case back to Mianyang for a retrial, concluding that there was not enough evidence to justify treating the case as gang-related.
