Xie spent 4.5 years in prison for subverting state power after publicly supporting the Umbrella Movement. He was released in March 2019 but has since faced continuous harassment. In April 2020, Xie was detained again for posting a poem commemorating Lin Zhao, a dissident from the Cultural Revolution. Xie was sentenced to another 4.5 years in prison following a secret trial, highlighting the ongoing repression of his activism.