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China jails transparency activists China jails transparency activists
(2 months later)
A court in eastern China has imposed jail terms of A court in eastern China has imposed jail terms of up to six and a half years on three activists who were part of a civil rights movement that has urged government officials to publicly disclose their assets.
up to six and a half years on three activists who were part of a civil rights movement that has urged government officials to The sentences, decried by the trio's supporters as excessive, reflect the increasingly hard line that China's Communist party has taken against political dissent, no matter how peacefully expressed or loosely organised. Party leaders have been wary of any independent social force with the potential to threaten the party's rule by mobilising groups of people and have sought to quash the loosely knit New Citizens movement of which the three activists were members.
publicly disclose their assets. A district court in the city of Xinyu sentenced Liu Ping, a labour activist, and Wei Zhongping to six and a half years' imprisonment each, while another activist, Li Sihua, was given three years, said one of their lawyers, Zhou Ze.
The sentences, decried by the trio's supporters as excessive, reflect The activists were convicted of "creating a disturbance", a vaguely defined offence that has been increasingly used to lock up activists. Liu and Wei also were convicted on two other charges.
the increasingly hard line that China's Communist party has taken Liu's lawyer Si Weijiang said there was no legal basis for the convictions. "The evidence shows the three of them are clearly not guilty but the authorities were determined to convict them," Si said.
against political dissent, no matter how peacefully expressed or loosely In Liu and Wei's cases their sentences were heavier than that which a Beijing court imposed on the group's founder Xu Zhiyong, in January, which was four years in prison.
organised. Party leaders have been wary of any independent social force The prosecutions have been part of an expansive crackdown since last spring on political expression that has seen the arrests and detentions of prominent activists, intellectuals, rights lawyers, bloggers and advocates for minority rights.
with the potential to threaten the party's rule by mobilising groups of "The signal they want to send is that all political dissidents, regardless of whether you are guilty or innocent, they will convict and sentence you," Si said.
people and have sought to quash the loosely knit New Citizens movement of which the three activists were members.
A district court in the city of Xinyu sentenced Liu Ping, a labour
activist, and Wei Zhongping to six and a half years' imprisonment each, while another activist, Li Sihua, was given three years, said one of
their lawyers, Zhou Ze.
The activists were convicted of "creating a disturbance", a vaguely
defined offence that has been increasingly used to lock up activists.
Liu and Wei also were convicted on two other charges.
Liu's lawyer Si Weijiang said there was no legal basis for the
convictions. "The evidence shows the three of them are clearly not
guilty but the authorities were determined to convict them," Si said.
In Liu and Wei's cases their sentences were heavier than that which a
Beijing court imposed on the group's founder Xu Zhiyong, in January,
which was four years in prison.
The prosecutions have been part of an expansive crackdown since last
spring on political expression that has seen the arrests and detentions
of prominent activists, intellectuals, rights lawyers, bloggers and
advocates for minority rights.
"The signal they want to send is that all political dissidents,
regardless of whether you are guilty or innocent, they will convict and
sentence you," Si said.