陈西（1954年2月29日—），贵州贵阳人（祖籍广西玉林），原名陈友才。著名民运人士、《零八宪章》首批签署人，也是“贵州人权研讨会”联合创始人。三次入狱，累积服刑23年：1989年因组建“贵州爱国民主联合会”声援六四获刑3年；1995年因筹组“中国民主党贵州分部”并呼吁为六四平反，被判10年；2011年因发表36篇异议文章被控“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”，再次获刑10年，服刑至2021年11月28日获释 。2011年10月曾软禁并独立参选地方人大，引发关注 。狱中遭严格限制、酷刑折磨，且健康受损 。出狱后长期被当局严密监控，家庭生活受限 。2020年曾获“刘晓波写作勇气奖” 。陈西以笔为剑，不屈坚持，成为当代中国民主与人权运动中最坚韧的象征之一。
Chen Xi (born February 29, 1954), born in Guiyang, Guizhou (ancestral home in Yulin, Guangxi), originally named Chen Youcai, is a prominent Chinese pro-democracy activist and an early signatory of Charter 08. He is also co-founder of the Guizhou Human Rights Symposium.
Chen has been imprisoned three times, serving a total of 23 years. In 1989, he was sentenced to three years for founding the Guizhou Patriotic and Democratic Union in support of the Tiananmen protests. In 1995, he received a 10-year sentence for helping to organize the Guizhou branch of the China Democracy Party and calling for a reassessment of June 4th. In 2011, he was sentenced to another 10 years for publishing 36 dissenting essays.
In October 2011, while under house arrest, Chen attempted to run as an independent candidate for local People’s Congress, drawing attention. During his imprisonment, he was subjected to harsh restrictions, torture, and deteriorating health. He was released on November 28, 2021, but remains under close surveillance, with his family life heavily constrained.
A recipient of the 2020 Liu Xiaobo Courage in Writing Award, Chen Xi is widely regarded as one of the most resilient figures in China’s struggle for democracy and human rights—unyielding, principled, and fearless with his pen.
