A human rights lawyer has been convicted of “subversion of state power” at a secret trial in China, almost two years after he was detained in a sweeping crackdown.
Li Heping (李和平) was sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve, the court in the eastern city of Tianjin said on an official social media account, meaning he should be released, but could be arrested and jailed at any point.
The trial was held behind closed doors on Tuesday because “the case involved state secrets,” the court said.
Li was swept up in a nationwide crackdown on rights lawyers and rights advocates in July 2015, where about 250 people were detained or questioned by police.
Since assuming power, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has launched a new wave of attacks on advocates and the lawyers who defend them.
Li’s case drew attention around the world and EU officials, as well as the embassies of 11 countries, called for his claims of torture while in custody to be investigated.
His wife has said authorities used electric shocks on him.
Li became well-known for defending disenfranchised people, including Christian house churches, victims of forced evictions and free-speech advocates. He worked within the scope of China’s legal system, rather than taking to the streets in protest.
Although Li is likely to be released in the coming weeks, he has already spent more than 20 months in detention.
The court’s verdict was seen as a warning to other advocates and included a catalog of vague charges, without citing any specific examples of illegality.
“The court ruled that since 2008, the defendant Li Heping repeatedly used the Internet and foreign media interviews to discredit and attack state power and the legal system,” the court said.
The court also accused Li of accepting foreign funds and employing paid defendants.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in 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
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was