China Allegedly Jails Two Human Rights Lawyers

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Facts

  • Two prominent Chinese human rights lawyers, Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi of the civil rights group New Citizens' Movement, were reportedly convicted of 'subversion of state power' and sentenced to over a decade in prison, according to one of the men's wives. However, a PRC court official said it was not aware of the cases.1
  • After a closed-door trial, Xu — who reportedly called for Pres. Xi Jinping to step down over his handling of COVID — was jailed for 14 years. According to Ding's wife, her husband was 'jailed for 12 years and deprived of political rights for three years.'2
  • Ding was arrested in December 2019 shortly after attending a gathering in southern China with about 20 other lawyers and activists. According to his lawyer, he was then held incommunicado for almost six months.3
  • Xu, who was also held for three years before his sentencing, was detained in February 2020. The lawyers for both men have reportedly been barred from contacting foreign media — a practice Ding's wife Luo Shenchun says has become increasingly common in recent years.4
  • Ms. Luo, who lives in the US and has pursued his case with US State Department officials, alleged: 'Their lawyers are forbidden from publishing court verdict documents and they do not dare to reveal where they were sentenced and under what charges.'5
  • The New Citizen's Movement has called for greater transparency into the wealth of officials and for Chinese citizens to be able to exercise a greater degree of civil rights.4

Sources: 1Bangkokpost, 2Al Jazeera, 3Guardian, 4Deccan herald and 5Reuters.

Narratives

  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by Human rights watch. Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi are among the most courageous human rights lawyers in all of China, which is why they have been fiercely targeted by the PRC. As these men have risked their lives and well-being to inspire the world to fight authoritarianism wherever it lifts its head, it is now up to the international community — governments and NGOs alike — to return the favor and fight for their freedom.
  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by Global times. Though it has painted China as a human rights antagonist for decades, the world needs to understand that the US is one of the worst offenders of human rights violations. At least 80 UN nations see right through the hegemonic propaganda, and Washington can no longer inflict its will on the global community.

Predictions