A Chinese cyber-dissident was jailed for four years for subversion yesterday after posting politically sensitive essays on the Internet, his lawyer said.
A local court in China's northern Hebei Province convicted rights activist Guo Qizhen (郭起真) of "subverting state sovereignty," lawyer Li Jianqiang said.
"We believe the court did not give a just verdict," Li said.
"We believe Guo Qizhen's criticism of the government was within his rights under the constitution," Li added, saying that he would appeal the verdict.
After his verdict was announced, Guo spoke to his teenage son and told him he would be vindicated one day, said Li.
"He delivered a long speech to defend himself during the trial and trusted the court would listen to him," Li said.
Guo wrote many articles critical of the Chinese government on overseas Web sites. His arrest in May was linked to his participation in a hunger strike to protest human rights violations, said press freedom campaign group Reporters Without Borders (RWP) this month.
Guo is also well known for his vocal criticism of corruption and his sympathy towards the plight of underprivileged people.
The Paris-based RWP had previously condemned Guo's arrest and called for his release.
"The charge of subversion, which is frequently used against cyber-dissidents, is a legal aberration," the group said on its Web site.
Human and media rights groups say China's leaders are tightening their crackdown on dissent and are intensifying control over the Internet and traditional press amid increasing social unrest.
In August, China sentenced veteran Hong Kong journalist Ching Cheong (
Two months ago, Zhao Yan (
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese