Pro-democracy activist and online commentator Yu has been the subject of harassment by Chinese authorities, including surveillance, for years. After tweeting about speaking out on the Tiananmen Square massacre on October 12, 2022, he was taken into custody, and later sentenced to three years in prison for "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." In October 2025, he was reportedly released. Yu had previously faced 15 days' detention for criticizing Covid-19 lockdowns and has long documented local corruption, forced evictions, and abuses of power in Ezhou, Hubei Province.