Liu Xiaobo, who organised a petition calling for political freedoms, stood silently in the No 1 Intermediate People’s Court in Beijing to hear the judge declare him guilty of “inciting subversion of state power”.
The guilty verdict was a foregone conclusion in a country where charges are rarely brought unless a court has already seen sufficient evidence to ensure a conviction, and where the sentence in sensitive cases is decided by the Communist Party. Only the severity of the punishment was in doubt.
Liu, who will mark his 54th birthday on Monday, was given no chance to respond to the sentence, but told his wife that he would appeal. “China’s Mandela was born this Christmas,” Beichen, a well-known Chinese blogger, said. A handful of protesters outside the court were removed by police.
For additionalinformation: International outcry after Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo sentenced to 11 years - Times Online
No comments:
Post a Comment