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Olympic Protester Sentenced
to Five Years Imprisonment, Beaten
Fang Xiaocai
Epoch
Times
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Olympic human rights activist Yang Chunlin was sentenced to
five years imprisonment Tuesday for 'inciting subversion of state
power' by championing his cause with the slogan, "We don't
want the Olympics, we want human rights."
While being taken from the courtroom, police shocked him with
electric batons in front of his family. The 20-minute trial took
place in the Jiamusi City Intermediate People's Court in Heilongjiang
Province.
Rejecting that the Chinese authorities' judicial system is legitimate,
Yang refused to sign the court document and insists he will not
appeal his sentence.
(Article continues below)
Yang, a 53-year-old unemployed factory worker, is also is a freelance
writer under the pen-name, "Wei Houren." At the end
of 2006, Yang advocated for farmers who lost their farmlands in
Fujin City, Heilongjiang. He collected over 10,000 signatures
on an open petition letter titled, "We want human rights,
not the Olympics." On July 6, Yang was arrested by the National
Security Bureau in Jiamusi. On August 13, he was charged with
'inciting subversion of state power.'
Yang's attorney Li Fangping stated that his client received a
sentence that was unduly harsh. He said Yang will now have ten
days to decide whether to appeal.
Yang's sister, Yang Chunping, explained that the court hearing,
beginning at 3pm on the afternoon of March 24, lasted about 20
minutes in total.
"The court sentenced him to five years imprisonment and
two years deprivation of political rights, on charges of 'inciting
subversion of state power' because he posted articles online attacking
the ruling regime," said Chunping.
"When asked for his opinion of the verdict, [my brother]
declared that the Chinese judicial system isn't legal at all.
So what kind of opinion could he have over the sentence? Because
his behavior is in complete compliance with the country's freedom
of speech laws, his sentencing was not legal. Therefore, he refused
to sign on the written judgment. He also expressed that he would
not appeal, a decision he had already determined."
Police Beat Yang with Electric Batons on Site
After the hearing, Chunping said her brother was quickly taken
away from court. His family members wished to say a few words
to him, urging him to reconsider an appeal. But court police prevented
any contact with his family by shocking Yang with electric batons.
"Our family members only wanted to tell my brother to appeal,
but the police didn't allow him to speak. They used electric batons
to shock him several times," said Chunping. "My brother
was hurt so terribly that he covered his abdomen with his hands.
Upon witnessing this tragic scene, my family members all cried
loudly in protest and officers quickly threw my brother into a
police vehicle."
"Although my brother didn't sign the sentence in writing
after the hearing, the court forced my sister to sign a copy for
relatives. We don't know whether this will have any legal effect."
With no signature Yang's sentence was still valid, said Attorney
Li Fangping, as the court had an open hearing.
If Yang did choose to appeal, Li said he would still continue
to represent him. But said the case is possibly over, as Yang
had openly expressed that he would not appeal.
The court was contacted following the hearing, but no one answered
the phone.
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