Ahead of party congress, dissident gets eight years for "subversion"
Beijing (AsiaNews) - As China gets ready for the Communist Party's 18th congress, the most important political event of the last ten years, its justice system continues to violate the human rights of its people.
A court in Kunming, in the southwestern province of Yunnan, sentenced a dissident, Cao Haibo, to eight years in prison. For Chinese Human Rights Defender, which reported the conviction, the decision is but the latest example of suppression of freedom of thought.
Accused of "subversion against state power," Cao, 27, was found guilty of setting up an online forum to promote liberal democracy in China and posting articles against China's one-party Communist regime. In imposing such a harsh sentence, the regime is sending a warning to all dissidents.
Meanwhile, the party will choose its fifth generation of leaders in its upcoming congress. For this reason, the authorities do not want any trouble like public demonstrations or online criticism.
According to Cao's lawyer, who was unable to speak to his client after the sentence, it is unclear whether an appeal will be launched.
What is clear is that the trial was legally flawed and that Cao was subjected to a long period of preventive detention.
Although arrested in October 2011, he was brought to trial only on 22 May 2012 with the court eventually convicting him on 31 October 2012, a year after he was taken into custody.
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