TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The wife of a Taiwanese activist China accused of subversion said her husband may be pressured into pleading…
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The wife of a Taiwanese activist China accused of subversion said her husband may be pressured into pleading guilty when his trial opens Monday, but she remains hopeful that he can return home safely.
Lee Ching-yu told reporters at a briefing Saturday she plans to travel this weekend to attend Lee Ming-che’s trial in the central city of Yueyang. Supporters sitting beside her held up signs calling on China to release the activist.
„At this moment, I want to ask my fellow countrymen for their understanding if they see Lee Ming-che do or say anything unbearable in court outside of his free will, “ Lee said.
„This is just the Chinese government being adept at the performance“ of having someone confess, she added.
Lee Ming-che is accused of subversion of state power, a vaguely defined charge often used by authorities to muzzle dissent and imprison critics.
China’s wide-ranging crackdown on civil society has featured a string of televised „confessions“ — believed to have been made under coercion — by human rights activists accused of plots to overthrow the political system.
Calls to the court and the activist’s lawyer rang unanswered Saturday.
