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China dismisses US criticism on sentences given to rights activists

Iran Press TV

Sat Aug 6, 2016 10:18AM

China has rejected as baseless recent US criticisms about the sentences given to rights activists in a series of subversion trials in the Asian country.

Xinhua news agency quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying as saying on Saturday that the "US accusations are groundless," calling on Washington to "respect the facts."

"Chinese judicial authorities deal with related cases in accordance with law so that the legitimate rights and interests of defendants could be effectively protected," Hua added.

Earlier this week, a Chinese court sentenced three rights advocates and a lawyer to up to seven and half years jail for subversion.

They are all associated with the Fengrui law firm, which is known for taking on cases of dissident scholars, members of banned religious groups and victims of sexual abuse.

The Chinese government has accused the Beijing-based firm of politicizing ordinary legal cases, organizing demonstrations outside courts and conspiring with "foreign forces" to undermine the country's governing Communist Party.

Fengrui is at the center of the so-called "709 crackdown" – named after the day and month it began on July 9, 2015 – under which more than 200 activists and lawyers involved in cases deemed sensitive are detained so far.

On Thursday, US State Department spokesman Mark toner voiced concerns over what he described as "vague and apparently politically motivated charges" brought against the Chinese activists.

It was "troubling" that the defendants had been denied access to their chosen counsel and family members, he said, urging Beijing to "release all the lawyers and activists who were detained on July 9, 2015, and remove restrictions on their freedom of movement and professional activities."

On Monday, Wang Yu, a Fengrui associate and a prominent human rights lawyer, was reportedly released on bail after she featured in a video confession.

In the footage, she said "foreign forces" were using her to "attack and smear" the Chinese government. She also renouncing her work and international awards, but rights groups said it was a coerced confession.

Wang was arrested along with scores of other lawyers and activists in July last year and accused the next month of inciting subversion and "causing a disturbance" as part of the government's so-called 709 crackdown.