A Chinese court on Monday sentenced two prominent human rights lawyers to more than ten years in prison each, in the latest chapter of a crackdown on civil society led by President Xi Jinping for years. In a phone call with Reuters, Luo Shengchun, the wife of human rights lawyer Ding Jiaxi, stated that "their lawyers are prohibited from releasing the court rulings and dare not disclose the location where the sentences will be served or the charges against them." She added that she will continue to seek information.
The Shandong Provincial Court sentenced prominent human rights lawyer Xu Zhiyong to 14 years in prison and Ding Jiaxi to 12 years. Both cases were subject to secret trials, plagued with procedural issues, and various reports of mistreatment. The absurdity of the convictions reflects Xi's extreme hostility towards peaceful rights activism. Governments around the world should jointly call on Chinese authorities for the unconditional release of these two lawyers.
Senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, Yakio Wang, remarked that "the absurd and harsh judgments against Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi demonstrate Xi's unlimited hostility towards peaceful activism." Both Xu, 50, and Ding, 55, faced trial in closed sessions in June of last year on charges of undermining state power in a court in Linyi, Shandong Province, as reported by their relatives at the time. Xu was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Ding received a 12-year sentence.
They have been held for more than three years, with Ding being detained in December 2019 shortly after attending a gathering in southern China with 20 other lawyers and activists. Both had previously been imprisoned for their activism.
