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Chinese Rights Campaigner Will Be Tried This Week, Lawyer Says Trial of Chinese Human Rights Campaigner Is to Begin
(about 7 hours later)
HONG KONG — Yang Maodong, a human rights activist who has long been at the forefront of contentious causes in southern China, will stand trial there this week on a charge of assembling a crowd to disrupt public order, his lawyer and his sister said on Tuesday. They said Mr. Yang was sure to fight the charge, despite being equally certain that he would be convicted and imprisoned. HONG KONG — The trial of Yang Maodong, a human rights activist accused of assembling a crowd to disrupt public order, will begin in southern China this week, his lawyer and his sister said on Tuesday. They said Mr. Yang, who has long been at the forefront of contentious causes, would fight the charge but acknowledged that he was likely to be convicted and imprisoned.
Mr. Yang, who is better known by his pen name, Guo Feixiong, will be the latest prominent rights advocate to face trial for his part in small but attention-getting protests that rippled across China starting two years ago, when Xi Jinping assumed leadership of the Communist Party. One of Mr. Yang’s lawyers, Zhang Xuezhong, said a court official in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, had notified him that Mr. Yang and another defendant, Sun Desheng, would be tried on Friday. Mr. Yang, who is better known by his pen name, Guo Feixiong, will be the latest prominent rights advocate to go on trial for his part in small but attention-getting protests that rippled across China starting two years ago, when Xi Jinping assumed leadership of the Communist Party. One of Mr. Yang’s lawyers, Zhang Xuezhong, said a court official in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, had notified him that Mr. Yang and another defendant, Sun Desheng, would be tried on Friday.
“We’ll be defending him as innocent,” Mr. Zhang, a lawyer in Shanghai who lost his job as a university lecturer after his outspoken advocacy of free speech, said by telephone.“We’ll be defending him as innocent,” Mr. Zhang, a lawyer in Shanghai who lost his job as a university lecturer after his outspoken advocacy of free speech, said by telephone.
“This doesn’t amount to a crime, but taking into account the current political situation, I can only say that I’m not at all optimistic about the outcome,” Mr. Zhang said. “But as his defense, we’ll do our best to demonstrate his innocence.”“This doesn’t amount to a crime, but taking into account the current political situation, I can only say that I’m not at all optimistic about the outcome,” Mr. Zhang said. “But as his defense, we’ll do our best to demonstrate his innocence.”
Mr. Yang’s sister, Yang Maoping, confirmed the trial date and Mr. Yang’s plans to fight the charges in a brief telephone interview. Officials at the Tianhe District People’s Court in Guangzhou, where the trial will be held, would not comment.Mr. Yang’s sister, Yang Maoping, confirmed the trial date and Mr. Yang’s plans to fight the charges in a brief telephone interview. Officials at the Tianhe District People’s Court in Guangzhou, where the trial will be held, would not comment.
For a decade, Mr. Yang has been well known in Guangdong as an advocate and adviser of citizens protesting land confiscations, home demolitions, police abuses and other grievances against officialdom. He and other rights activists in Guangzhou also rallied around demands that the Communist Party disclose officials’ wealth as part of promises to fight corruption that Mr. Xi made when he assumed power in November 2012.For a decade, Mr. Yang has been well known in Guangdong as an advocate and adviser of citizens protesting land confiscations, home demolitions, police abuses and other grievances against officialdom. He and other rights activists in Guangzhou also rallied around demands that the Communist Party disclose officials’ wealth as part of promises to fight corruption that Mr. Xi made when he assumed power in November 2012.
But since last year, Mr. Xi has overseen a concerted drive against organized dissent, and many of Mr. Yang’s allies have already been imprisoned, including Xu Zhiyong, a law lecturer in Beijing who helped organize a so-called New Citizens Movement to demand expanded rights and greater government accountability. The police in Guangzhou detained Mr. Yang last month.But since last year, Mr. Xi has overseen a concerted drive against organized dissent, and many of Mr. Yang’s allies have already been imprisoned, including Xu Zhiyong, a law lecturer in Beijing who helped organize a so-called New Citizens Movement to demand expanded rights and greater government accountability. The police in Guangzhou detained Mr. Yang last month.
The indictment of Mr. Yang, 48, and Mr. Sun, 32, which has been made public by their lawyers and supporters, said that in January 2013 they gathered several people at a cafe in Guangzhou to organize support for journalists protesting censorship at Southern Weekend, a popular Chinese newspaper based in the city. The journalists were incensed about the rewriting of a New Year’s message that originally called for greater respect for constitutional rights.The indictment of Mr. Yang, 48, and Mr. Sun, 32, which has been made public by their lawyers and supporters, said that in January 2013 they gathered several people at a cafe in Guangzhou to organize support for journalists protesting censorship at Southern Weekend, a popular Chinese newspaper based in the city. The journalists were incensed about the rewriting of a New Year’s message that originally called for greater respect for constitutional rights.
After the protest outside the newspaper’s office, the indictment said, “Yang Maodong made many comments to foreign media about the Southern Weekend New Year message incident.”After the protest outside the newspaper’s office, the indictment said, “Yang Maodong made many comments to foreign media about the Southern Weekend New Year message incident.”
The prosecutors also accused Mr. Yang and Mr. Sun of organizing people in April 2013 to stand on the streets of several cities and have their pictures taken while holding up placards demanding, among other things, that officials disclose their wealth and that the national legislature ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Pictures of such gestures of defiance spread on the Internet.The prosecutors also accused Mr. Yang and Mr. Sun of organizing people in April 2013 to stand on the streets of several cities and have their pictures taken while holding up placards demanding, among other things, that officials disclose their wealth and that the national legislature ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Pictures of such gestures of defiance spread on the Internet.
A writer and businessman, Mr. Yang was previously convicted and imprisoned in 2007 on a charge of illegal business activities related to his publishing work, an accusation that he and his supporters called a pretext to stifle his activism. He was released in 2011. This time, he and Mr. Sun each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, said Mr. Zhang, the lawyer.A writer and businessman, Mr. Yang was previously convicted and imprisoned in 2007 on a charge of illegal business activities related to his publishing work, an accusation that he and his supporters called a pretext to stifle his activism. He was released in 2011. This time, he and Mr. Sun each face a maximum sentence of five years in prison, said Mr. Zhang, the lawyer.
When Mr. Xi first assumed leadership of the Communist Party, his promises of cleaner and more candid government emboldened some Chinese rights activists to press demands for a measure of democratic accountability. But since then, Mr. Xi has quashed any expectations of liberalization.When Mr. Xi first assumed leadership of the Communist Party, his promises of cleaner and more candid government emboldened some Chinese rights activists to press demands for a measure of democratic accountability. But since then, Mr. Xi has quashed any expectations of liberalization.
Last week, he repeated warnings that China must reject any alternatives to one-party rule. Mr. Xi said at a meeting in Beijing on Friday that “the fundamentals of China’s political system must never be abandoned,” the state news media reported. Last week, he repeated warnings that China must reject any alternatives to one-party rule. Mr. Xi said at a meeting in Beijing on Friday, “The fundamentals of China’s political system must never be abandoned,” the state news media reported.
“Copying other countries’ political systems will not work,” he said. “It could even bury this country’s future.”“Copying other countries’ political systems will not work,” he said. “It could even bury this country’s future.”