» 01/19/2012 09:49 CHINA Writer Li Tie sentenced to 10 years for "subversion" He had published 13 articles in foreign newspapers in which he defended the dignity and human rights as the most precious thing. His lawyer prevented from meeting him, sentence outside statute of limitations, charges of subversion based on assumptions.
Beijing (AsiaNews / CHRD) - A court in Wuhan (Hubei) has condemned the writer and activist Li Tie to 10 years in prison for "subversion", accusing him of having written and published articles in which he asks people to defend their rights.
The verdict against Li (pictured fourth from left) comes a matter of weeks after the 9 year sentence handed down to the activist Chen Wei and 10 years for Chen Xi, both accused of "inciting subversion", and a few days following the one against the poet Zhu Yufu. All of them were sentenced in relation to the possibility of creating a movement similar to the "Arab Spring" in China.
The session lasted only half an hour. Only his mother and sister were allowed to attend, the judges rejected the lawyer chosen by them and assigned a court appointed one.
In court, Li rejected all accusations and claimed he had only exercised his right to freedom of opinion protected by the Chinese constitution. His sentence is related to the drafting of 13 essays published in foreign newspapers and on the Internet. One of these essays is titled "The paradise of human beings is human dignity."
The courts have also sentenced him for taking part in discussions on "reactionary" Internet sites, making "reactionary" comments in meetings with friends. From this they deduced that Li Tie has "anti-government thoughts" and it thus can be assumed that he engages in actions against the government: based on this he was convicted of "subversion."
Li, 52, was detained Sept. 15, 2010, and formally arrested on October 22 of that year. Tried on April 18, 2011, the sentence was only handed down yesterday. According to Chinese law, a court has only 2 and a half months of time to reach a verdict. The lawyer chosen by Li Tie, Jin Guanghong, never received permission to meet his client and was forced to disappear 10 days before trial.
For almost a year, fearing a revolt in China similar to the "Arab Spring" and faced with the possible collapse of the regime, the government has been carrying out a campaign of arrests against dozens of activists, dissidents and human rights lawyers. The regimes’ terror is increased by the ever-increasing economic difficulties, leading to social unrest and the impending change at the top levels of the Communist Party. By next October, in fact, , President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao should resign, giving way to the party members of the Fifth Generation.
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