In a rare display of official tolerance, outspoken Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng (
Gao, 42, was given a five-year reprieve, Xinhua news agency said yesterday, quoting sources with a local court. That meant he does not have to serve his sentence unless he commits another crime over the next five years.
Gao has legally represented religious activists, members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement and farmers with land disputes.
It was unclear why he was given a relatively lenient sentence, coming on the heels of a 20-year jail term for sociologist Lu Jianhua (
But he was also deprived of his political rights for one year, which would prevent him from speaking to reporters and might mean he could be kept under house arrest or surveillance.
Gao was accused of posting nine "seditious articles," on overseas Web sites.
China secretly tried Gao this month on a charge of inciting subversion of state power, drawing condemnation from dissidents.
The hearing excluded Gao's chosen lawyers, who have not been allowed to visit him.
Gao is one of several activists held or jailed in a crackdown on campaigners seeking to use legal activism to expand citizens' rights. Last February he started a "relay style" hunger strike to protest what he said was police brutality against activists. Dissidents across China and around the world participated in the hunger strike.
Gao's case comes amid a crackdown on Chinese lawyers who represent people with grievances against the government over corruption, seizures of farmland and other abuses. Lawyers have been detained and harassed, and some have been stripped of their licenses.
The Chinese government tightened restrictions on lawyers this year in an apparent effort to contain a surge in politically sensitive cases. The new restrictions require lawyers to follow government guidance in handling cases, to avoid talking to foreign reporters and to discourage clients from protesting.
His wife and other relatives have faced police harassment and house arrest.
"As a friend, I'm happy he can go home back to his wife and children," fellow activist Hu Jia (
"This is the result of the endeavors of the international community and activists. This is our first victory," Hu said. "Gao Zhisheng is innocent and the case itself is an infringement of his human rights."
Meanwhile, a Chinese vice admiral has been jailed for life on a charge of embezzlement, a Beijing-funded Hong Kong newspaper reported yesterday.
Originally it was reported that Wang Shouye (
A Beijing military court convicted and sentenced Wang on Dec. 14, the Wen Wei Po newspaper said, quoting unidentified sources.
OPTIMISTIC: A Philippine Air Force spokeswoman said the military believed the crew were safe and were hopeful that they and the jet would be recovered A Philippine Air Force FA-50 jet and its two-person crew are missing after flying in support of ground forces fighting communist rebels in the southern Mindanao region, a military official said yesterday. Philippine Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo said the jet was flying “over land” on the way to its target area when it went missing during a “tactical night operation in support of our ground troops.” While she declined to provide mission specifics, Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala confirmed that the missing FA-50 was part of a squadron sent “to provide air support” to troops fighting communist rebels in
PROBE: Last week, Romanian prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against presidential candidate Calin Georgescu accusing him of supporting fascist groups Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Romania’s capital on Saturday in the latest anti-government demonstration by far-right groups after a top court canceled a presidential election in the EU country last year. Protesters converged in front of the government building in Bucharest, waving Romania’s tricolor flags and chanting slogans such as “down with the government” and “thieves.” Many expressed support for Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in December’s canceled election, and demanded they be resumed from the second round. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), which organized the protest,
ECONOMIC DISTORTION? The US commerce secretary’s remarks echoed Elon Musk’s arguments that spending by the government does not create value for the economy US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Sunday said that government spending could be separated from GDP reports, in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn. “You know that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s Sunday Morning Futures. “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.” Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the US economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because
Hundreds of people in rainbow colors gathered on Saturday in South Africa’s tourist magnet Cape Town to honor the world’s first openly gay imam, who was killed last month. Muhsin Hendricks, who ran a mosque for marginalized Muslims, was shot dead last month near the southern city of Gqeberha. “I was heartbroken. I think it’s sad especially how far we’ve come, considering how progressive South Africa has been,” attendee Keisha Jensen said. Led by motorcycle riders, the mostly young crowd walked through the streets of the coastal city, some waving placards emblazoned with Hendricks’s image and reading: “#JUSTICEFORMUHSIN.” No arrest
RSS