Sad but true:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/03/asia/china.php
BEIJING: A Chinese court Thursday sentenced an outspoken human rights advocate to three and a half years in prison after ruling that his critical essays and comments about Communist Party rule amounted to inciting subversion, his lawyer said.
The conviction of Hu Jia, 34, quickly brought outside criticism of China at a time when the government is already facing international concern over its handling of the Tibetan crisis. Hu's case has been followed closely, especially in Europe, and critics say his conviction is part of a government crackdown to silence dissidents before Beijing plays host to the Olympics in August.
Diane Sovereign, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, described the U.S. government's reaction to the verdict as "dismayed."
"Mr. Hu has consistently worked within China's legal system to protect the rights of his fellow citizens," Sovereign said. "These types of activities support China's efforts to institute the rule of law and should be applauded, not suppressed or punished."
Hu's wife, Zeng Jinyan, herself a well-known blogger and rights advocate, was distraught in a telephone interview Thursday.
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"I feel hopeless and helpless," said Zeng, who is under house arrest with the couple's infant daughter in their suburban Beijing apartment, though she was allowed to visit her husband Thursday.
Asked why Hu was arrested and convicted, Zeng said: "The fundamental reason is to silence him. He had been speaking up and all he said was plain truth. It makes them unhappy. But they can do this to him because they're unhappy?"
Li Fangping, the defense lawyer, said the court had showed leniency by sentencing him to less than the maximum five-year term. Li said the sentence also forbade Hu from making any public political statements for one year following his release from prison.
"Three and a half years is still unacceptable to us," Li said outside the courthouse. "There is a major disagreement between prosecutors and the defense over punishing someone for making peaceful speech. We still believe the charge does not stand."
Prosecutors in China rarely discuss cases after a verdict. But Xinhua, the government press agency, reported that Hu had confessed to the charges.
"Hu spread malicious rumors and committed libel in an attempt to subvert the state's political power and socialist system," the court verdict stated, according to Xinhua.
Hu is one of the most prominent human rights advocates in China and has volunteered to help AIDS patients and plant trees to fight desertification. In recent years, he has maintained regular contacts with dissidents and other advocates on issues including environmental protection and legal reform.
He was detained Dec. 27 and later charged with "incitement to subvert state power," a charge based on six essays and interviews in which he criticized the Communist Party. Hu wrote a long, blistering essay detailing how the police had tortured two people who had protested about having their homes illegally seized in Beijing.
Last year, Hu also co-wrote an article that criticized the Communist Party for failing to fulfill its promises to improve human rights before the Beijing Games, though that article apparently was not included as evidence.
Li said that Hu continued to maintain his innocence, though he has acknowledged outside the courtroom that some of his comments were "excessive" in the context of existing law. All of the articles used as evidence have been censored on China's Internet.
Hu has 10 days to decide whether to appeal the verdict. His health is also an issue; he has Hepatitis B and also takes medication for a deteriorating liver condition. Li said Hu has the option of applying for medical parole if he chooses not to appeal.
Howard W. French contributed reporting from Shanghai. Zhang Jing contributed research from Beijing
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“I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
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