House-Church Leader among Four Pro-Democracy Activists Sentenced in China
ICC Note:Hu Shigen, 61, is a house-church leader in China. He was sentenced by the No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court to seven and a half years in prison under charges of “subverting state power” on August 5. This came after 12 months of arbitrary arrest and detention without any legitimate legal representation or family visitations.
08/09/2016 China (Morning Star News): Two Christians were among four activists convicted under fabricated charges of “subverting state power” in China last week.
The Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court sentenced house-church leader Hu Shigen, 61, on Wednesday (Aug. 3) to seven and a half years in prison on charges of “subverting state power” for his work as an activist advocating democracy, according to news reports. On Friday (Aug. 5), the court sentenced Christian activist Gou Hongguo to a three-year, suspended sentence on the same charge. The 55-year-old Gou thus will not serve time in prison.
Also sentenced was 55-year-old human rights advocate Zhai Yanmin, who on Tuesday (Aug. 2) received a three-year suspended sentence for “subverting state power.” Prosecutors accused Zhai, along with Hu, Zhou and detained lawyer Li Heping, of establishing “a systematic ideology, method and steps to achieve” subverting state power, according to state media.
On Thursday (Aug. 4) the court sentenced human rights attorney Zhou Shifeng to seven years in prison for “subverting state power.” The 52-year-old Zhou leads a law firm, Fengrui, that defended people the communist government opposed.
“After more than 12 months of arbitrary arrest and detention in ‘black jails’ without any legitimate legal representation or family visitations, these rushed trials and harsh sentences are clearly nothing but political and religious persecution,” China Aid President Bob Fu said in a statement on Friday (Aug. 5). “The international community should unequivocally condemn this total disregard of the rule of law and the Chinese government’s commitment to international human rights laws.”
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