China’s imprisonment of two rights campaigners is harshly criticised by the UN

Both Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, who were critical of the CPC and President Xi Jinping, received hefty prison sentences of 14 years and 12 years, respectively.

The UN has criticised the decision of a Chinese court to sentence two well-known human rights attorneys to lengthy prison terms, with the international body’s rights chief expressing his “grave worry” with the sentences of the two campaigners.

Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, who criticised the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President Xi Jinping and called for better civil liberties in the nation, received hefty prison sentences on Monday, 14 years and 12 years, respectively. This is thought to be Beijing’s newest assault on dissent.

“I am deeply concerned that two important human rights defenders in China, Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong, have received lengthy prison sentences, at variance with international human rights legislation standards,” UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement posted by his office.

The prohibition on criminal prosecution or other forms of punishment for expressing opposition to governmental actions is a requirement of human rights legislation. Furthermore, it necessitates the observance of rights to a fair trial and due process as well as thorough inquiries into any claims of mistreatment, according to Turk’s statement.

The UN representative pledged to “…follow up on these situations with the authorities.”

It is crucial that actions are done to prevent other human rights advocates from being attacked for defending their right to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

Xu and Ding were each found guilty of the crime of “subversion of state power” by a court in Shandong province, eastern China, and were given 14 and 12 years in prison, respectively, on Monday.

The Chinese Communist Party, which is in power, has no control over and no recourse against the judiciary system.

Human Rights Watch, a US-based rights organisation, stated in a statement that “their trials were held in secret and were plagued with procedural issues and claims of maltreatment.”

Yaqiu Wang, a senior Chinese researcher at Human Rights Watch, stated that the tragically absurd convictions and punishments given to Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi demonstrate President Xi Jinping’s unwavering antipathy towards nonviolent protest.

The sentence was described as “disgraceful” and a “blatant infringement of their rights to freedom of expression and assembly” by the rights organisation Amnesty International. Immediately and without conditions, they should be released.

In order to promote government transparency, Xu established the New Citizens’ Movement in 2012, which included Xu and Ding as members.

Early in the month of February 2020, Xu criticised Xi and demanded his resignation for the way he handled the coronavirus outbreak and the pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong.

“Xu was arrested on February 15, 2020, while staying at the residence of a fellow activist and afterwards also held incommunicado in residential surveillance at a specified location until January 15, 2021,” according to an Amnesty statement.