• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
  • Volunteer
    • Internship with The Online Citizen
  • Donation
  • Subscription
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Imprisoned Chinese rights lawyer in poor health: wife

by The Online Citizen
19/01/2021
in China, Politics
Reading Time: 2 mins read
2

Crime - Prison Cell Bars from Shutterstock.com

A Chinese lawyer nominated for a top human rights award is in poor health after years in prison, his wife told AFP Tuesday.

Yu Wensheng was detained in Beijing in January 2018 in front of his young son just hours after he wrote an open letter calling for constitutional reforms, including multi-candidate elections.

He was tried in secret and sentenced to four years in prison last June for “inciting subversion of state power”.

“His physical state is very poor. His right hand is deformed and trembles so much that he cannot write,” his wife Xu Yan told AFP.

Yu was nominated Monday for the Martin Ennals Award, which organisers hope will shine a light on abuses in authoritarian states.

Xu said her husband’s nomination “not only supports and honours (him), but is also an encouragement and affirmation to other human rights lawyers and defenders”.

China has seen a dramatic crackdown on civil liberties and freedoms since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012, with hundreds of human rights lawyers and activists detained in recent years.

Yu was known for taking on a number of high-profile rights cases, including the defence of fellow lawyer Wang Quanzhang, who was among more than 300 legal professionals and activists arrested in a July 2015 crackdown.

He also became well known for suing the Beijing government for the city’s chronic air pollution.

Yu’s defence lawyer Lu Siwei had his legal license revoked by authorities last week after handling several sensitive human rights cases.

Lu had planned to file another appeal against Yu’s sentence, Xu said, after his first appeal was rejected earlier this month.

Last week, she was allowed to have a 25-minute video call with her husband, who is being held in a detention centre in the eastern province of Jiangsu.

It was their first such meeting in three years, she said.

Four of Yu’s teeth were missing and he was unable to chew food properly, Xu said, and that there was no heating in the detention centre.

“These are very basic human needs that are not fulfilled,” she said, adding that Yu occasionally glanced in another direction before replying.

Xu suggested that was because there were police in the room, outside her view.

“There are probably a lot of things he cannot say right now, we will only know the full extent of what he experienced after he is released,” she said.

The Martin Ennals Award is decided by 10 leading rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. This year’s winner will be announced on February 11.

– AFP

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Source: AFP
Tags: AFP
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
2 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Recent Posts

  • Only 1 in 5 surveyed confident of 4G leaders, Blackdot Research study finds
  • Taiwan truck driver charged with negligent homicide over rail crash
  • Myanmar’s ousted MPs form shadow government
  • France says ‘highly probable’ EU won’t renew AstraZeneca orders
  • Jimmy Lai: the Hong Kong media tycoon that China loathes
  • Jimmy Lai among five Hong Kong democracy activists jailed
  • Rebel groups see opportunity in post-coup Myanmar
  • Public Prosecutors have nothing to fear if they do their job, says Justice Chan Seng Onn as Parti Liyani becomes first to seek compensation against AGC for “frivolous and vexatious” prosecution

Trending posts

The economics of Singapore’s future politics

Ho Ching shares not 1, not 2, but 7 Facebook posts by Chan Chun Sing in a row within 15 minutes

HDB steps up to assist single mom after her social media post on being given unliveable flat goes viral

WP MP Gerald Giam’s intervention helped solve traffic congestion issue at Hougang Capeview

Blogger Roy Ngerng hits fundraising target in 8 days for damages to be paid to PM Lee over libel suit

Only 1 in 5 surveyed confident of 4G leaders, Blackdot Research study finds

PM Lee seeking nearly S$130,000 in legal costs and disbursements from blogger Leong Sze Hian; much of disbursements tied to engagement of Hong Kong expert witness

Public Prosecutors have nothing to fear if they do their job, says Justice Chan Seng Onn as Parti Liyani becomes first to seek compensation against AGC for “frivolous and vexatious” prosecution

Pfizer CEO: Vaccine third dose ‘likely’ needed within 12 months

Load More
January 2021
MTWTFSS
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Dec   Feb »
  • About Us
  • Volunteer
  • Donation
  • Subscription
  • Letter submission
  • Contact Us

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

wpDiscuz
2
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x
| Reply