Chinese court sentences rights lawyer in secret trial
BEIJING: China sentenced a prominent human rights lawyer to a threeyear suspended sentence Friday following a secret trial, raising concerns the country is moving to further reduce transparency in highprofile, politically sensitive cases.
Beijing has come under increased fire from the international community as it tightens the screws on the country’s civil society in a crackdown that is said to have relied on torture and illegal detentions to punish critics of the government.
Li Heping, best known for defending blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng, was found guilty of “subverting state power,” the Tianjin Second Intermediate Court said in a post on its verified microblog.
Li stood trial on Tuesday in the port city of Tianjin, close to the nation’s capital, where he said he would “obey the judgment and not appeal,” the statement said.
“Because the case involved state secrets, our court had a trial not open to the public... the court fully protects the rights of litigation of Li Heping,” it added.
The Beijing Global Law Firm partner was detained by police dur- ing the so-called “709 crackdown” in the summer of 2015, when authorities rounded up some 200 legal staff and activists.
A suspended sentence means Li will be released from detention, but will continue to be closely monitored by police, likely at his home.
There is a “strong likelihood” that Li was tortured to force a confession, said Frances Eve, researcher for the charity Chinese Human Rights Defenders.
Li has not had access to a lawyer of his own choosing since he was detained, according to his former attorneys.
Ma Lianshun, one of the lawyers, confirmed that he had not received any notice of the court proceedings.
“The secret trial is illegal, because Li is not a government official. He got all his information from public channels, so he could not have had any state secrets,” Ma told AFP.
Chen Guancheng also condemned the procedings, telling AFP: “I think the authorities know that Li has committed no crime, so in an open trial they would not have been able to come up with good excuses for his treatment.”
Last August, Chinese courts tried six members of the “709” group in quick succession, finding them guilty of serious crimes including “subverting state power” and “endangering national security.”
The courts gave prior notice of the hearings — even if just a few hours in some cases.
According to Chinese law, in most cases a defendant’s family members or lawyers must be informed at least three days before a trial.