Christian rights lawyer remains in detention in China despite receiving suspended sentence

Christian human rights lawyer Li Heping still remains in detention even after a Chinese court gave him a four-year reprieve on his three-year jail sentence on Friday.

Li was convicted of "subversion of state power" in a closed-door trial at a court in the northeastern city of Tianjin last week, Hong Kong Free Press reported.

He was sentenced to three years in prison with a four-year reprieve, allowing him to be released. However, he could be imprisoned again if he breaks the law during the probation period.

Li's wife, Wang Qiaoling, said that her husband has not been allowed to return home despite the reprieve.

"I'm very happy that Li Heping is alive. But he is not free! He is being held by the authorities using a different method," said Wang, who has been campaigning for his release despite harassment from authorities.

Wang had denounced Li's secret trial and conviction, saying she was not notified of the trial until state security informed her about the sentencing.

"For a political prisoner like him, a three-year sentence with a four-year reprieve implies that his personal freedom will be limited for seven years," she noted.

The court stated that the trial was held behind closed doors because the case involved state secrets, and said Li had used overseas funding to "provoke dissatisfaction among people who do not understand our country's social system."

Human Rights Watch noted that Li's lawyer was also not present in the courtroom during the verdict announcement.

Li's attorney, who was assigned by the police after they forced Li to fire the lawyer hired by his family, reportedly traveled with the authorities to Beijing to help them pressure Wang to go to Tianjin to meet her husband. However, Wang refused the request, fearing that she will be put under house arrest.

Li, who is known for defending practitioners of the banned Falun Gong meditation sect, was one of the hundreds of people who were detained in July 2015 as part of China's crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists.

According to China Aid, he was tortured by the authorities using various methods, including electric batons, in the first six months of his detention.

The court issued a statement saying Li would not appeal his case. It noted that it gave Li a suspended sentence due to his "relatively small" number of crimes and his expression of regret.