Chinese court convicts Christian lawyer of subverting state power in secretive trial
A prominent Christian human rights lawyer has been convicted by a Chinese court of subverting state power in a secretive trial in China's northern Tianjin municipality on Friday.
Li Heping, who defended political dissidents as well as members of the banned Falun Gong meditation sect, was found guilty of "subversion of state power" after almost two years of arbitrary imprisonment, China Aid reported.
The Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People's Court stated that the trial was held behind closed doors because the case involved state secrets. It said that since 2008, Li had been using the internet and interviews with foreign media to discredit and attack state power and the legal system.
It also stated that he colluded with lawyers, "individuals engaged in illegal religious activities" and "professional petitioners" to attack the constitutionally based system.
Additionally, Li allegedly used foreign funds to intervene in high-profile legal cases and intentionally provoke dissatisfaction with society among "some people who don't know the fact of the matter."
The court sentenced him to three years in prison with a four-year suspension, and it stripped him of his political privileges. He may not have to serve his three-year sentence if he does not commit any other offenses during the suspension period. However, authorities often re-arrest individuals serving suspended sentences for arbitrary infringements, including taking part in interviews with foreign media.
According to China Aid, the government also tried to coerce Li to contact his wife, Wang Qiaoling, to convince her to travel to Tianjin and collect him so that the authorities could arrest her upon her arrival.
Wang reportedly said that she is scared of losing her freedom and told her husband to come home to Beijing if he had truly been released.
Li was one of the hundreds of people who were detained in July 2015 in the crackdown against human rights lawyers and activists. During the first six months of his detention, he was reportedly tortured by the authorities using various methods, including electric batons.
The court released a statement saying Li would not appeal his case. Li reportedly thanked the court after the proceedings and expressed regret about his supposed crime. The court said that it gave the lawyer a suspended sentence due to his "relatively small" number of crimes and his expression of regret.