In this Jan. 10, 2013 file photo, a policeman stands near a supporter, center in wheelchair, of the Southern Weekly during a protest near the newspaper’s headquarters in Guangzhou
A court in southern China sentenced a leading activist who organized rallies for media freedom to six years in prison Friday in what his lawyer described as an unfair trial with an extra criminal charge added at the last minute.
Lawyer Li Jinxing said a district court in the city of Guangzhou found Yang Maodong guilty of disturbing public order. It also convicted him of provoking troubles, a charge Li said was announced minutes before the trial and which added to the stiff sentence.
Yang — better known by his penname Guo Feixiong —helped organize demonstrations and spoke in support of the editorial staff at the newspaper Southern Weekly in Guangzhou in January 2013, after its journalists complained of censorship. Journalists said the paper’s New Year’s message calling for stricter adherence to China’s constitution was altered under orders of censors.
Although China’s ruling Communist Party leadership under Xi Jinping proclaims rule of law as a priority, calls from outside the party for greater adherence to China’s constitution are seen as attempts to undermine the party’s monopoly on power.
The charge of disturbing public order typically is punishable by up to three years in jail, and the charge of provoking troubles carries a maximum sentence of five years. The addition of the second charge moments before Friday’s trial drew immediate protests from the defense team, Li said.
Calls to the Tianhe District Court in Guangzhou rang unanswered Friday.
Li said the last-minute addition was against procedural rules and allowed the defense no time to prepare. He also said that a printed verdict was issued immediately after the trial, showing that it had been prepared in advance.
“It’s the abuse of the judiciary powers at its worst,” Li said.
Yang Maoping, the activist’s sister, confirmed the lawyer’s account and said the trial amounted to “cruelty and political persecution.” Didi Tang, AP
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