MCLC: another jailed for subversive writing

[Denton, Kirk]

MCLC LIST
>From Bill Goldman (billgoldman at mac.com)
Subject: another jailed for subversive writing
*************************************************************

Source: BBC (12/23/11): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-16312065

Chen Wei jailed in China for 'subversive' writing

Chinese writer Chen Wei has been sentenced to nine years in jail for
"inciting subversion of state power".

Mr Chen published several essays online calling for freedom of speech and
reform of China's one-party system.

He was among hundreds of dissidents detained earlier this year after
online calls for protests in China inspired by the uprisings in the Middle
East.

He told the court he was not guilty and that "democracy will prevail" in
China, say reports.

Mr Chen has always insisted he was simply expressing his opinions as
allowed under the Chinese constitution.

His wife told the BBC the trial had been "a performance" and that the
verdict had been decided before it began.

The indictment against Mr Chen listed several essays he wrote for foreign
websites on topics including pieces which criticised the political system
in China and praised the growth of civil society.

'Patriotic man'

The trial in Suining was held behind closed doors and lasted only two
hours. In addition to the jail sentence, Mr Chen had his political rights
taken away for a further two years. It is believed to be one of the
harshest sentences imposed on those involved in the so-called Jasmine
Revolution - the attempt to replicate the Arab Spring uprising in China.

The nine-year sentence given to Chen Wei is significant and harsh. It will
certainly be seen as an attempt by the authorities to intimidate other
dissidents thinking about speaking out.

Chen Wei is well known within intellectual circles as a fierce critic of
the government. He's called repeatedly for democracy and freedom of
speech, and he writes essays which he publishes online. That's why he's
been convicted, according to the authorities.

Chen Wei gathered a bit of a following and as soon as the authorities see
someone who has a following then they do move to stamp down on that kind
of dissent.

Mr Chen's lawyer, Zheng Jianwei, said that after the verdict was
announced, Mr Chen told the court: "Dictatorship will fail, democracy will
prevail."

His wife, Wang Xiaoyan, told the BBC she was "very unhappy" with the
verdict.

"I think today's trial is just a show. It's a performance. The verdict had
been decided in advance. They don't allow people to speak. There is no
freedom of speech."

She said his essays had been misinterpreted their meaning distorted, and
he had done nothing to incite subversion.

"He is a very patriotic man. He did criticise the Communist Party, but
that's stating the facts. That is not subversion."

Mrs Wang, who was present in court, said her husband had decided not to
launch an appeal, and that she respected his decision.

"He said the verdict would be decided in advance and there is no point
appealing. He wants to finish serving the terms quickly and come home
quickly," she said.

"We have a daughter who is not even 10 years old. I need to slowly explain
to my daughter why her father is in jail."
Human rights observers at the court for the trial said there were a large
police presence and that two activists had been questioned taken away.

Campaign group Human Rights in China (HRC) said Mrs Wang and other members
of Mr Chen's family have faced harassment from the police during his
detention, and that he had only been permitted to meet his lawyers twice
since he was detained.

Defence lawyers had been told to keep their comments brief in the
courtroom, said the group, in a sign they wanted the trial to be over
quickly.

Mr Chen is a veteran pro-democracy campaigner, having been jailed for his
part in the student protest in 1989 which were crushed in Tiananmen Square.

He is also a sign signatory of Charter 08 - a manifesto for democratic
reform that was co-written by Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.

Mr Liu is serving an 11-year jail term for his role in producing the
document, a sentence which has been widely criticised by governments and
rights groups around the world.