Liu Xiaobo Appeal Charges Court with Abuse of Public Power
January 29, 2010
In the appeal defense statement filed on behalf of Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波), Liu’s lawyers charged that the trial court abused its public power in finding Liu guilty of “inciting subversion of state power” and sentencing him to 11 years’ imprisonment. Human Rights in China has translated the statement into English. More »
Vaclav Havel, in HRIC Interview, Sends Message of Solidarity to Liu Xiaobo and Family
January 27, 2010
Vaclav Havel, playwright, former dissident, and first president of the Czech Republic (1993–2003), expressed strong solidarity and sympathy with jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波) and his family in a recent interview with Sharon Hom, executive director of Human Rights in China. On December 25, 2009, Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison on conviction of “inciting subversion of state power,” for six of his essays and for co-authoring Charter 08, an online petition released in early December 2008 calling for human rights and democracy and an end to one-party rule in China. More »
Google Attacked from China: Wake-up Call to International Business
January 12, 2010
Google today issued a statement that it will reconsider the company's operations in China, following an investigation bringing to light a “sophisticated and targeted attack on [Google’s] infrastructure originating from China.” Human Rights in China (HRIC) has translated the Google statement into Chinese. More »
Case Update: International Community Speaks Out on Liu Xiaobo Verdict
December 30, 2009
Since the Beijing Municipal No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court issued a guilty verdict and 11-year sentence to Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波) for the crime of “inciting subversion of state power” on December 25, 2009, the international community has condemned the decision and its negative impact on the universal right of freedom of expression. More »
Liu Xiaobo’s Guilty Verdict and 11-Year Sentence Send Message of Zero Tolerance for Universal Human Rights
December 25, 2009
In one of the most high-profile political trials in China in recent years, a Beijing court today found Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波) guilty of “inciting subversion of state power” and sentenced him to 11 years of imprisonment and two years’ deprivation of political rights. Liu’s lawyers told Human Rights in China (HRIC) they do not agree with the decision, stating that Liu was merely exercising his right as a citizen to freedom of expression. According to his lawyers and family, Liu plans to appeal.
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What Constitutes Liu Xiaobo’s “Incitement to Subvert State Power”?
December 23, 2009
The trial of prominent intellectual Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波) in the Beijing Municipal No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court took less than three hours under near total security lock down outside the courtroom. Like much of China’s judicial process, especially cases deemed politically sensitive, what happened inside the courtroom remains largely out of public view. What is known includes: Liu pleaded not guilty to the charge of “incitement to subvert state power”; about twenty people attended the trial as observers, including Liu’s brother, Liu Xiaoxuan (刘晓暄), and brother-in-law; the presiding judge was Jia Lianchun (贾连春), who previously convicted and sentenced rights defense lawyer Gao Zhisheng (高智晟) and AIDs activist Hu Jia (胡佳) on the same charges; and the verdict will be issued on Friday, December 25. More »
“The Dirtiest of Political Trials”
Ding Zilin (丁子霖)
December 23, 2009
Today, December 23, at 9 a.m., Chinese authorities used the dirtiest of pens to write down these dirtiest of words: the Trial of Liu Xiaobo. More »
Vocal Government Critic Dismissed from China’s Top Think Tank
December 21, 2009
On December 21, 2009, Zhang Boshu (张博树), political philosopher and constitutional scholar, was asked to leave his post at the Philosophy Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China’s largest think tank and a state-run institution. Zhang joined CASS in 1991 as an assistant research fellow. Two years later, he published an article in Hong Kong that was critical of the government’s 1989 June Fourth crackdown. Zhang has held the same title for the past 18 years. The dismissal notice says Zhang now has three months to “transfer out” of CASS. More »