China sentences 10 activists over court protest
Originally published by Monster Sand Crities, 29 Sept 2010
Beijing – China sentenced 10 rights activists to as many as three years in prison on convictions of ‘disturbing public order’ by protesting outside a local court, reports said Wednesday.
The 10 men were arrested after six of them chained themselves together outside the main court in the south-western city of Leshan in Sichuan province in February 2009 to protest several court rulings.
The same Central District People’s Court on Tuesday sentenced Bao Junsheng to three years in prison for ‘gathering a crowd to disturb social order’ and gave four other defendants 30-month prison terms for the same offence, US-based Human Rights in China said.
Xing Qingxian, Lu Dachun and one other defendant were sentenced to two years in prison while the remaining two were released under supervision orders, the rights group said.
It said four of the defendants, including Xing and Lu, were arrested for posting online reports and video footage of the protest, during which some protesters organized a petition, displayed banners and wore clothing bearing the message ‘defend rights.’
The protestors were mostly long-term petitioners who opposed the court’s decisions on cases involving forced evictions and compensation for government-requisitioned land.
Liu Jiwei, who was placed under a two-year supervision order for joining the protest, was given a lighter sentence because he ‘helped the authorities to detain other suspects,’ the rights group said.
US-based Radio Free Asia quoted lawyer Ma Xiaopeng as saying Xing denied taking part in any protest and should not have been charged with disturbing social order.
‘I haven’t met with him yet, but I expect that we will appeal,’ Ma told the broadcaster.
The men were first tried in April, but the case was sent back to prosecutors for more evidence.
Chen Yunfei, a Sichuan-based rights activist who was outside the court Tuesday, told the broadcaster that the trial was completed amid ‘tight security.’
‘There was a patrol of 17 or 18 armed police going back and forth outside the court,’ Chen was quoted as saying. ‘They didn’t let us go in. I don’t think they even informed the relatives [of the trial].’
Sharon Hom, Human Rights in China’s executive director, said the sentences undermined the government’s claim this week that a reported decline in the number of petitions reflected progress in human rights.
‘Among the netizen comments we have seen in reaction to the Chinese government’s just-released Human Rights White Paper, by far the greatest number expressed dismay and disbelief at the claim that a decline in the number of petitions is an indication of human rights progress in China,’ Hom said.
‘This case perhaps shows us the real reason contributing to the decline,’ she said.
‘Instead of addressing the grievances of petitioners, the authorities simply lock them away,’ Hom said.
