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An undated photo shows Chinese activist and rights lawyer Ni Yulan at her home in Beijing in 2002. On Tuesday, a Beijing court sentenced her and her husband Dong Jiqin to two years eight months and two years, respectively. They were detained a year ago in a crackdown on activists, and charged with fraud and "causing trouble" at a hotel where they were held.
A Chinese lawyer and activist who battled on behalf of residents who were losing their homes to construction for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was sentenced to 2 years and 8 months in prison by a Beijing court on Tuesday, reportedly on charges of fraud and causing a disturbance, Reuters reported.
Ni Yulan 51, was tried with her husband Dong Jiqin. Both were both arrested in April 2011. Dong was sentenced to two years in jail.
Ni’s daughter Dong Xuan said Ni attended her court appearance lying on a bed with an oxygen supply, according to a report in the Global Post. Ni is confined to a wheel chair and suffers other health problems that she says were caused by torture at the hands of police during two previous jail terms.
Ni had been an outspoken advocate for citizens forced to leave their homes to make way for development and provided what she argued was grossly inadequate compensation for the sacrifice. She lost her own home this way, so she camped in a tent in a public park for a time, The Global Post reported.
Ni and Dong were arrested in April 2011 in a government crackdown apparently aimed at averting an Arab Spring-like uprising in China.
Tuesday's sentences are another signal that the Communist party remains wary of the country's nascent civil rights movement.
In December Chen Xi, a veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen protests, was sentenced by a Guizhou court to 10 years for "subversion" for his persistent calls for human rights, and highlighting growing inequity in Chinese society.
Writer Chen Wei, was sentenced in December to nine years for a series of articles he published on the Internet between 2009 and 2011 calling for greater freedom of expression in China and reform of the one-party Communist system.
Upon sentencing Chen, 42, stood up in court and shouted: "Democracy and constitutional government will triumph! The dictatorship with fall!" Radio Free Asia reported.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Hope the Chinese government has a lot of prisons, because people will not keep buying the "party is always right" line. I remember something said about communism...that it essentially keeps its citizens "poor" (the share and share alike mentality). Now that more Chinese have more money to spend, they also want more freedom of choice. Also, the average Chinese are seeing more of the hypocrisy of various party members, which is undercutting it's foundation as the country's moral heart.
Once you let the genie out of the bottle, it's hard to put it back. And in this day and age with Facebook and Google, cellphones, and the net, you can't hide your misdeeds anymore. The Communist Party's time is coming...all good and bad things must end.
No saving face on this one china. Shame is well placed on both cheeks and forehead. Human rights abuses can no longer be hidden by corrupt governments.
Well gee from all the hype I thought China was supposed to be the end all be all that did everything right! This is why I'm glad I'm not in China. Freedom is pretty sweet.
Its stuff like this that will put a damper on China's overrated economic growth. Africa has more potential if it ever stabilizes.
it is not the share and share alike philosophy that has made the chinese poor-it is the fact that some people are MORE equal than others that make someone poor anywhere-including here. our gov't is taking away our civil rights daily in america and you worry about china's need for prisons? the powers that be here are still stealing from the weaker poorer countries of the world, as usual...only now they aren't sharing with us-cutting all social programs, not raising min. wage, etc....now they put it in their own pockets, they buy more boy toys (weapons) and they keep on meddling in everyones lives, to their detriment. in bed with corporations against the working people of the world. soon they'll have us all competing for 2 bucks a day.
lets import more products from china....
Great slogan:
"Democracy and constitutional government will triumph!"
VViva!
Ms Ni, Mr Chen and their ilke are not only scaring the CCP (The ones with all the Guns) but also USA Business Interests, for a sudden change or revolt for Democracy means prices at Walmart will double and we don't want that, Do we?
Grrrrrrr..... Walmart