Hainan teacher sentenced for inciting subversion
On March 19, the Haikou Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Wu Kongda (吴孔⼤) to three years and six months’ imprisonment for inciting subversion. Wu was detained in November 2023 after disseminating news about the persecution of human rights lawyers Wang Quanzhang and Li Heping. He also voiced support for He Fangming, a female petitioner who is facing trial for picking quarrels and provoking trouble (PQPT) by raising funds for families affected by faulty vaccines.
According to the judgment, Wu was accused of writing multiple “reactionary” slogans in public places between 2012-2013 and posting and forwarding over 18,000 “politically harmful” messages online since 2017.
The YouTube account was removed soon after the video was posted.
Wu is scheduled for release on April 8, 2027.
Peng Yuhua, convicted in 2017 Li Ming-cheh subversion case, released
On November 28, 2017, Taiwan resident Lee Ming-cheh (李明哲) was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for subversion by the Yueyang Intermediate People’s Court. Peng Yuhua (彭宇华), a codefendant in the same case, was convicted of the same crime and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment. On March 26, 2024, Peng completed his full sentence at Chishan Prison in Hunan without a sentence reduction.
State news media sources reported that Peng roped in dozens of people, including Lee, to establish the Plum Blossom Company. Peng instructed members to amplify sensitive issues and make defamatory statements about the Chinese government and political system.
Despite completing his subversion sentence, Peng is still serving his two-year deprivation of political rights (DPR) sentence, which expires in March 2026.
China Democracy Party leader sentenced again
China Democracy Party leader Xu Guang (徐光) was convicted of PQPT and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in Hangzhou on April 3. The charges against Xu stemmed from his protesting police officers who confiscated his mobile phone prior to June Fourth in 2022. Xu was a student leader of the 1989 pro-democracy protests at Hangzhou University in Zhejiang.
He was arrested in July 2022 and tried in April 2023.
The Chinese government declared the China Democracy Party an illegal organization in 1998. Chinese courts have sentenced scores of the party leaders to lengthy jail terms for subversion or inciting subversion. In November 1999, Xu was among those who were sentenced to five years in prison for subversion. He completed his last prison sentence in September 2004.
Migrant worker turned labor activist arrested
Jing Shuren (景树仁), a migrant worker turned labor activist from Gansu, was formerly arrested for PQPT in April by Lanzhou police.
The news of Jing’s detention in March was first announced by sociologist Professor Yu Jianrong on Weibo. Jing started his activism in 2018, raising funds online to provide aid to the elderly during winter, and donating books to women in his hometown. After gaining attention online, he used his grassroots influence to help other migrant workers in disputes over back wages.
The reason for Jing’s legal predicament isn’t clear. Other activists and petitioners speculated that it might be related to Jing sharing other petitioners’ grievance letters in a WeChat group.
Falun Gong practitioner received third clemency in Guangdong
Deng Xiufeng (邓秀芬), a Falun Gong practitioner from Meizhou, Guangdong, received a sentence reduction in April 2024. This is her third sentence reduction, which comes more than three years after her second one in 2020.
Deng and her husband Liang Shujing (梁顺景) were convicted in May 2016 of using a cult to undermine the implementation of the law after police confiscated a large number of Falun Gong books, audio files, and other materials. Deng was sentenced to ten years in prison with two years of DPR while Liang was sentenced to ten years and three months in prison as well as DPR of an unknown length. Both filed appeals, and the judgments were upheld by the Meizhou Intermediate Court in July 2016.
Dui Hua learned that the Guangdong Women’s Prison has deemed that Deng has demonstrated remorse in prison and participated vigorously in reform through labor and political education. Deng was given seven commendations during the latest evaluation period. The prison requested a seven-month reduction for Deng. The Guangzhou Intermediate Court approved the request for reduction; however, in accordance with the regulations that mandate restrictions for sensitive crimes such as cult-related ones, the court granted a five-month reduction.
Deng previously received two sentence reductions. Her first reduction, of five months, was granted in February 2019 and a second reduction, of seven months, was granted in December 2020.
Dui Hua has inquired about Deng’s case since 2017 as part of its increased focus on women in prison.
Following the latest act of clemency, Deng is expected to be released in October 2024.
Falun Gong practitioner in Beijing facing trial again
Yang Xingling (杨兴玲), a Beijing resident and Falun Gong practitioner, is facing trial in Beijing for the second time.
Little is known about Yang. She was first tried in October 2016 and sentenced in December of the same year to one and a half years in prison. She was convicted of using a cult to undermine the implementation of the law and released in January 2018.
Dui Hua learned that Yang has been tried again for the same crime. The first court hearing was held in March 2024 at the Miyun District Court. No conviction or judgment has been reported.
Wang Quanzhang & family live under surveillance & harassment, four years after release
Rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang (王全璋) and his family continue facing daily harassment and life under surveillance four years after Wang’s release from prison.
Wang defended several Falun Gong partitioners and was one of the first lawyers to work on such sensitive cases. During the 2015 “7.09” crackdown on lawyers, Wang was accused of hyping “rights defense” and posting “inflammatory articles.” He was detained for inciting subversion and convicted of subversion in January 2019. The Tianjin Number Two Intermediate Court sentenced him to four and a half years with five years of DPR. Wang was released in April 2020.
In a March interview with a Japanese media outlet, a reporter witnessed several surveillance personnel occupying the hallway and stairs outside Wang’s home in Beijing. Wang claimed he and his wife were constantly followed everywhere. Wang’s young son also expressed symptoms of depression since his school life was also often disrupted by unidentified people.