BEIJING?? A Chinese court has sentenced a writer to 10 years in in prison on subversion charges for writing essays that urged people to defend their rights, a relative said, the third person to be sentenced on such charges in less than a month.
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The court in Wuhan in central China tried Li Tie in April last year but only declared him guilty on Tuesday of "subversion of state power," the relative, who declined to be named for fear of retribution, told Reuters by telephone.
The charge is more serious than the one of incitement, often used against critics of the ruling Communist Party.
Li, 52, said in court he is innocent because the Chinese constitution protects citizens' freedom of expression, the Hong Kong-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders group said in a statement. The group said Li was arrested in September 2010.
Wang Songlian, a researcher with the group, told The Associated Press that Li's case is similar to those of Chen Wei and Chen Xi, rights activists who were separately sentenced late last month to nine and 10 years in prison, respectively, for posting essays on the Internet that the government deemed subversive.
"They are all activists with a long track record of promoting democracy in China, who have refused to bend despite severe persecution," Wang said. "Their sentences are the Chinese government's response to the Arab Spring: Freedom and democracy are dirty words, and anyone advocating for them will be punished harshly."
Rights activists say the harsh sentences are worrying signs that the government's crackdown on dissidents is intensifying, ahead of the one-year anniversary of online calls for the Arab-inspired "Jasmine Revolution" rallies and before a tricky leadership transition later in the year.
"(Li) said in court: 'I'm not guilty. When have I subverted state power?'" a relative told Reuters.
"The state has made this conclusion against him," the relative said. "You can't understand it. Under these circumstances, you're helpless. But this is our reality. He sat in front of the computer subverting state power.'"
Calls to the Wuhan Intermediate People's court about Li's case were unanswered.
Communist Party chiefs are preparing for a leadership handover late next year, when the party's long-standing focus on fending off political challenges is likely to intensify.
'Worshipped Chairman Mao'
Li was convicted for writing 13 essays that called for defending "people's rights" that he published in newspapers overseas and on the Internet, said the relative. One of the essays was entitled "Human Beings' Dignity is equivalent to heaven," the source said.
"He worshipped Chairman Mao and would use Mao Zedong's Thought in his essays," the source said, referring to the communist theory espoused by China's former paramount leader. "He always used to tell me: 'I'm using the language of the Communist Party, so why are they after me?'" the relative said.
Video: Dalai Lama: China must hear voice of democracy (on this page)The sentence was meted out in half an hour, he added, noting the court would not allow Li's lawyer to represent him and appointed another lawyer to do so. Li was allowed to meet only with his mother and daughter.
Li was initially detained by the Wuhan public security bureau on last September on suspicion of "inciting subversion of state power," his relative said.
When the Wuhan court issued a formal notice on Li's arrest a month later, the charge had been changed to "subversion of state power," he said. The relative said the court did not give a reason for the more serious charge.
Defendants facing subversion charges in China's party-run courts are almost never acquitted.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46052665/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/
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