<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/19/china-human-rights-activist-li-qiaochu-trial>
"Li Qiaochu, a human rights activist detained for nearly three years in China,
has gone on trial in Shandong province charged with “inciting subversion of
state power”.
On the eve of the trial, the chairs of the US congressional commission on China
called for Li’s unconditional release, citing reports that the labour rights
and feminist activist needed urgent medical treatment.
Li’s charges carry a sentence of up to five years, or potentially longer if she
is deemed a ringleader.
Li’s lawyer Li Guobei said she had been blocked from entering the Linyi
intermediate people’s court, where the trial was due to be held, by two
security guards.
One of Li’s other lawyers was allowed to enter the court.
Li’s trial concluded at 3pm local time with no public judgment, according to
the Facebook page FreeLiqiaochu李翘楚.
Li is the partner of the imprisoned human rights lawyer Xu Zhiyong, one of the
leaders of China’s embattled civil rights movement. In November, a court in
Shandong upheld the conviction of Xu and a fellow human rights lawyer, Ding
Jiaxi, for subversion of state power, sentencing them to 14 and 12 years in
prison respectively.
When Li was able to meet her lawyer in April, she said her feelings for Xu “had
never changed”, according to an account from her supporters, who also said Li’s
family had been denied repeated requests to meet her.
Li was arrested on 14 March 2021, having previously spent several months under
“residential surveillance at a designated location”, a form of detention used
by China’s police to hold someone outside of a normal prison without access to
family or lawyers. After her release from that period of detention, Li
described her experience as “black hoods and handcuffs, closed rooms, 24-hour
white lights”."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
