Chinese human rights lawyer is sentenced to prison
A Chinese human rights lawyer will go to prison on a charge of subverting state power.
The lawyer, Zhou Shifeng, was sentenced to seven years in prison Thursday, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) report. He was the first lawyer to face trial among about two dozen lawyers and activists who were arrested last year, according to the Wall Street Journal story.
Zhou led the Fengrui law firm, which had represented activists and families suing over tainted baby formula. According to AP, the firm “took on sensitive cases and represented people who dared challenge the party.”
One of Zhou’s colleagues at the firm, Wang Yu, was recently released on bail after delivering a videotaped “confession” in which she said foreign forces were using Fengrui to discredit the Chinese government. The ABA has selected her for its first International Human Rights Award.
See also:
ABA Journal: “China’s latest crackdown on lawyers is unprecedented, human rights monitors say”
