Taiwan man imprisoned for subverting state power

YUEYANG (Hunan): Lee Ming-che from Taiwan was sentenced to five years in prison for “subverting state power” by the Intermediate People’s Court of Yueyang City in Hunan province.

Mainland resident Peng Yuhua was sentenced to seven years in prison on the same charge. The two men were both deprived of their political rights for two years. They said they would not appeal.

Prosecutors accused Peng of recruiting dozens of people, including Lee, to establish an organisation aimed at subverting state power and overturning the country’s political system, using instant messaging services.

Peng started spreading ideas on subverting state power, and recruiting group members on instant mes- saging platform QQ in May 2012, the court said. Lee joined the group in September the same year, gradually becoming a key member.

In November that year, after discussing with the others, Peng drafted a plan and established the goal of founding a political party and overthrowing the current political system in China. They aimed to attract a million members by 2017. From 2013, Lee and others set up several QQ groups, with membership reaching 2,000. Peng and Lee wrote articles and books, and made videos online to attack the country’s political system.

On March 19, 2017, Lee was put under coercive measures by the Hunan provincial security organ on suspicion of subverting state power.