China: Activists Jailed For 'Picking Quarrels'

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent in Beijing

Three Chinese activists have been given jail sentences after calling for public officials to disclose their wealth.

Wei Zhongping and Liu Ping, who are both activists associated with the New Citizens' Movement, were each given six-and-a-half years.

The third activist, Li Sihua, received a shorter sentence.

All three were originally charged with illegal assembly but were later accused of the more serious charge of "picking quarrels" and creating a disturbance.

Liu and Wei were also accused of gathering a crowd to disrupt order in a public place and using an evil cult to undermine law enforcement.

They are familiar catch-all charges which are seemingly being used with increasing frequency to silence those who cause difficulties or embarrassment for the Chinese authorities.

It's claimed Liu was tortured whilst in detentionl

"The charges against these activists were preposterous from the very beginning," said William Nee, Amnesty International's China Researcher.

"Having a small, private, gathering and holding a banner in a lobby entrance and demanding financial transparency from officials should not in any way constitute picking quarrels and illegal assembly.

"The harsh sentences are just the latest moves in the politically-motivated crackdown on the New Citizens Movement. They are prisoners of conscience and should be released immediately and unconditionally."

It is claimed that Liu Ping was tortured during detention and her daughter and mother were not allowed to observe the trial.

The New Citizens Movement comprises a lose network of activists operating across China. One of their original aims was to campaign for educational rights for Chinese children.

However, their campaigns quickly morphed into a wider call for transparency and open government, as well as political and civil rights for the Chinese people.

Xu Zhiyong, one of the founders of the New Citizens Movement

In January, one of the movement's founders, Xu Zhiyong, was tried in a Beijing court for crimes including "making a racket" and attracting onlookers. He was convicted and jailed for four years.

The conviction of the three activists comes at a time when China's president, Xi Jinping, has launched a nationwide anti-corruption drive.

While the calls of the New Citizens Movement members are, ostensibly, in line with President Xi's call for an end to corruption and graft, grass roots activism considered by the authorities to be remotely political is not tolerated.

Since President Xi and Premier Li Keqiang took office in March last year, there has been a marked increase in the number of people detained using broad charges such as creating a disturbance or spreading rumours.

In a separate development, Chinese journalists have been banned from publishing critical reports without first gaining the approval of their employer.

The sentences and the wider crackdown raise questions about the appropriateness of Premier Li's three-day visit to the UK, which ends on Thursday. He has met the Queen and signed trade deals worth more than £14bn.

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