It accused authorities of “grossly” abusing their power in handling the detainees, “disregarding Chinese laws and violating global human rights conventions”.
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The court in Tianjin, where he pleaded guilty, is sentencing a number of activists and lawyers this week as China stated that they are conspiring to overthrow the Chinese Communist Party.
Shigen’s brief trial came a day after the court handed a suspended three-year sentence to another activist, Zhai Yanmin. It quoted him as saying they organized popular rallies during controversial human rights cases to draw global attention and undermine the Chinese state – remarks that echoed previous government accusations toward the group.
Authorities have tried to give the proceedings an air of transparency by handpicking a few media outlets from Hong Kong and Taiwan to be present in the courtroom.
Since 2009, he has used an illegal religious organization to attract lawyers and paid petitioners to spread subversive ideas while also arranging for Gou Hongguo, another suspect, to receive anti-China training overseas, the court said in a statement.
“It’s unfair, it’s too unfair”, she said in a text message upon learning of Zhai’s verdict.
Zhai’s three-year sentence was suspended for four years, meaning he will not go to prison but will have to live under considerable restrictions and supervision.
The Chinese government’s sweeping crackdown on lawyers and activists – more than 300 have been detained, questioned or harassed – has drawn widespread condemnation from worldwide rights groups and foreign governments.
Hu Shigen was likewise stripped of his political rights for five years, by a local court in Tianjin.
“It is an unprecedentedly light sentence… nearly a symbolic punishment”, said Beijing political commentator Zhang Lifan.
Wang was well known for taking up sensitive cases, representing feminists, members of the spiritual movement Falun Gong (which China has banned and declared an evil cult) and a professor from the Uighur ethnic minority who was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 on charges of separatism. Two more activists also face trial.
Another well-known human rights lawyer, Mr Li Fangping, told Reuters that the reprieve accompanying the sentence means that Zhai should be released, although he is likely to be strictly monitored.
Family members of the detained have said that they, and their counsel, have been denied access to the prisoners for more than a year. One of Zhai’s colleagues, Wang Yu, who was also arrested, appeared in a video on Monday reportedly renouncing Zhai and his legal work.
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It isn’t clear whether Zhai will be allowed to immediately return home.
