But Mr. Liang said the conviction also meant that Mr. Pu would no longer be allowed to practice law. He is expected to serve the rest of his sentence outside the jail.
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A renowned Chinese rights lawyer detained for online posts criticizing government policy and figures was handed a suspended three-year sentence Tuesday.
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The trial was held last week.
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Amnesty International said the suspended prison sentence was “a deliberate attempt by the Chinese authorities to shackle a champion of freedom of expression”. He was known for defending freedom of speech, and campaigned for an abolition of the labor camp system, which puts suspects into confinement for years without trial.
The overseas-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders’ (CHRD) network, which collates reports from rights groups operating inside China, hit out at the verdict against Pu, which comes amid a nationwide crackdown on rights lawyers. In his closing remarks that day, Pu asked the judge for a verdict that will “stand the test of history”, his lawyer said. Though the government of President Xi Jinping has emphasized the rule of law, the latest ruling is a clear indication that Beijing’s rule of law is inherently differently from that practiced in Western nations. “It’s good news but with a feeling of helplessness”.
The sentence could have been worse – he faced up to eight years for the series of social media posts -but is still drawing criticism from lawyers and rights groups that see Pu’s nearly 19-month detention, and Tuesday’s sentence, as a move to use vague, catch-all charges to stifle free speech and the Chinese lawyers who seek to protect it.
“He’s innocent, he’s innocent”, said Guan Jing, a supporter of lawyer Pu Zhiqiang.
Pu was detained in May 2014 after he participated in a private commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, and he was formally arrested that June. Pu was also scathing about the government’s policies in Tibet.
“How can you convict someone because of words? Is there a legal basis to regulate what can a person say or not say?” he said.
State news agency Xinhua said the court decided “to impose a lenient punishment” due to “the fact that the defendant Pu Zhiqiang truthfully confessed to the facts of the crime and positively pleaded guilty”.
“Pu will not have to immediately go to prison, but he is still not a free man”, his lawyer Mo Shaoping told AFP.
Mr Ai, who Mr Pu represented during the artists battle against tax authorities in 2012, told Reuters he was not guilty of any offence. About a dozen diplomats who attempted to watch the verdict said they were turned away on the ground the courtroom was full.
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During Pu’s trial last week, police roughhoused protesters who had gathered outside the courthouse in support of the lawyer.
