Three strike agitators sentenced

Three people who organizedlabor strikes were found guilty of disrupting public order on Monday and handed suspended sentences ranging from 18 months to three years by a court in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

Zeng Feiyang was given a four-year suspended sentence. He will serve jail time only if he breaks the law during the sentence period. Tang Huanxing and Zhu Xiaomei were each given 18-month sentences that were suspended for two years. All three had worked at a support center for migrant workers founded by Zeng that has since been closed by authorities.

“The defendants ignored national laws and organized mass gatherings that disturbed social order. Their acts, of a severe nature, resulted in an enterprise being suspended and led to grave losses,” a statement by Panyu District People’s Court said.

According to the court, Zeng led the center. Tang was responsible for online publicity and Zhu was in charge of managing migrant workers.

All three pleaded guilty and chose not to appeal.

In a statement given at the trial, Zeng admitted he had received funding and training from “some overseas organizations hostile to China”.

The three defendants confessed to being influenced by foreigners after they were arrested. The fact that they were all first-time offenders was a factor in the light penalties, the court said.

In his final statement, Zeng bowed to the court and expressed “deep regret”.

“I accepted training and funding from overseas organizations hostile to China and, at their request, incited and organized workers to protect their rights in an extreme way,” Zeng said.

He said that he had received large amounts of money from overseas organizations and had been touted as “the star of the labor movement”.

“I hope that others will take my case as a lesson and not be conned by such organizations,” Zeng said, calling on workers to protect their rights through legal channels.