The UN strongly condemns China’s jailing of two human rights activists World news
Beijing: The UN has condemned the decision by a Chinese court to hand down long prison terms to two prominent human rights lawyers and the world’s human rights chief, saying it was “deeply concerned” with the sentencing of the two activists.
Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, who are important to the Communist Party of China (CPC) and President Xi Jinping and who advanced civil rights in the country, were given long prison terms on Monday – 14 years and 12 years respectively – in what is seen as Beijing’s latest crackdown on dissent.
“I am deeply concerned that two human rights defenders in China – Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhyong – have been sentenced to long prison terms, contrary to international human rights law standards,” UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Turk, said in a speech. issued by his office.
“Human rights law requires that a person not be prosecuted or otherwise punished for expressing their opposition to government policies. It also requires respect for fair trial and procedural rights, and proper investigations into any allegations of unfair treatment,” Turk said in his statement.
The UN official promised to “… follow up these issues with the authorities”.
“It is important that we take steps to ensure that other human rights defenders are not targeted for exercising their human rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.”
A court in China’s eastern Shandong province on Monday sentenced Xu to 14 years in prison and Ding to 12 years after pleading guilty each to violating the “civilian power structure”.
Courts in China are not independent and answer to the ruling Communist Party of China.
“Their trials were conducted behind closed doors and were fraught with procedural problems and allegations of abuse,” the US-based rights group, Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
“The brutal convictions and sentences handed down to Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi show President Xi Jinping’s unrelenting aversion to peaceful activism,” said Yaqiu Wang, senior China researcher at the Human Rights Watch.
Rights group Amnesty International called the ruling “shameful” and “a violation of their rights to freedom of speech and assembly.” They should be released immediately and unconditionally. “
Xu and Ding are members of the New Citizens’ Movement, a loose group of activists founded by Xu in 2012 to advocate for government transparency.
In early February 2020, Xu criticized Xi’s handling of the coronavirus crisis and Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests and called for his resignation.
“On February 15, 2020, Xu was detained while staying at the house of a colleague and then again incommunicado under residential supervision in a designated location until January 15, 2021,” Amnesty’s statement said.
