Hu pleaded guilty at the Second Intermediate People’s Court in the northern city of Tianjin and said he would not appeal, the court said on a verified social media account. While it is said she has been released, neither Wang’s lawyer nor her mother have any knowledge of her whereabouts.
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Evidence presented at the trial, which apparently lasted only a few hours, included banners, books and “audio and video recordings”, Xinhua said, without giving their provenance.
Zhai Yanmin, 55, was among 300 lawyers and activists arrested since July past year as part of the so-called “709 crackdown” on legal activism.
According to Xinhua, Zhai was convicted for participating in various protests, “distorting facts” about these cases on the internet, and joining a gathering with other human rights lawyers and activists discussing how to get involved other “sensitive cases”.
Of the 300 people who were originally arrested, many were questioned and subsequently released. This is a light sentence given that the maximum penalty for subversion of state power is life imprisonment.
Activists fear the politically motivated trials will have a chilling effect on anyone willing to challenge the Communist Party. Hu was detained for two years in 1992 and then sentenced to 14 years in jail for counterrevolutionary crimes.
She told Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily News and other outlets that she regretted her past actions, but many think she was forced into making the statement since her family members are still detained by the authorities.
Together with several human rights lawyers he had “plotted to overthrow state power, adopting a systematic style of government-overthrowing thought”, it added. The confessors have painted human rights lawyers as troublemakers who should be avoided – perhaps to discourage ordinary citizens from seeking out their assistance. Friends and colleagues have noted that these comments are contrary to Wang Yu’s character, who is known for her dedication to human rights and has a long track record of defending activists in high-profile cases, including Uighur economist Ilham Tohti and women’s rights activist Li Tingting.
About a dozen remain under arrest on “state subversion” charges. She allegedly posted a written confession on her weibo account, yet her family and lawyer have been unable to contact her.
The trials are part of a pattern established under the administration of President Xi Jinping to use more sophisticated legal means to attack perceived opponents as it maintains pressure on activists and non-governmental organizations.
Police cordoned off the Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court on Tuesday, one day after protesters flanked by foreign diplomats demanded more information about the cases.
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In a statement earlier this week, the families and supporters called the trials “ridiculous and evil”, calling for them to be given global attention. Chinese dissidents had repeatedly called for greater transparency over the legal proceedings.
