Taiwan-based publisher Li Yanhe (李延賀) has been sentenced to three years in prison, fined 50,000 yuan (US$6,890) in personal assets and deprived political rights for one year for “inciting secession” in China, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said today.
The Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court announced the verdict on Feb. 17, Chen said.
The trial was conducted lawfully, and in an open and fair manner, he said, adding that the verdict has since come into legal effect.
Photo: Screen grab from Facebook
The defendant reportedly admitted guilt and would appeal within the statutory appeal period, he said, adding that the defendant and his family have been clearly informed about the sentence.
During the execution of the sentence, the relevant authorities are to ensure that the rights of the defendant and his family are protected in accordance with the law, Chen said.
He said that as a spokesman, he is unwilling to disclose further details.
Chen also accused the Democratic Progressive Party of repeatedly bringing up this judicial case in an attempt to slander and discredit China’s judicial system.
Li, also known by the pen name Fucha (富察), worked as editor-in-chief of Taiwan-based Gusa Press (八旗文化).
Li was born in China’s Liaoning Province and obtained Taiwanese citizenship after living in Taiwan for many years.
He returned to Shanghai in March 2023 to cancel his household registration, but was arrested by police, most likely because Gusa Press has published books that are critical of China’s autocratic regime.
In April 2023, Beijing confirmed that Li had been detained “on suspicion of engaging in activities endangering national security.”
Since then, China has never publicly announced the progress of Li’s trial, apart from announcing on Tuesday last week that he had been convicted in a “public sentencing.”
South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink are to make Kaohsiung the first stop on their Asia tour when they perform at Kaohsiung National Stadium on Oct. 18 and 19, the event organizer said yesterday. The upcoming performances will also make Blackpink the first girl group ever to perform twice at the stadium. It will be the group’s third visit to Taiwan to stage a concert. The last time Blackpink held a concert in the city was in March 2023. Their first concert in Taiwan was on March 3, 2019, at NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena). The group’s 2022-2023 “Born Pink” tour set a
CPBL players, cheerleaders and officials pose at a news conference in Taipei yesterday announcing the upcoming All-Star Game. This year’s CPBL All-Star Weekend is to be held at the Taipei Dome on July 19 and 20.
The Taiwan High Court yesterday upheld a lower court’s decision that ruled in favor of former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) regarding the legitimacy of her doctoral degree. The issue surrounding Tsai’s academic credentials was raised by former political talk show host Dennis Peng (彭文正) in a Facebook post in June 2019, when Tsai was seeking re-election. Peng has repeatedly accused Tsai of never completing her doctoral dissertation to get a doctoral degree in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 1984. He subsequently filed a declaratory action charging that
The Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a