Court sentences human rights defender to two years’ prison but his supporters say guilty plea on subversion charges was likely to have been coerced
China has sentenced a prominent civil rights lawyer to two years in prison in a trial that was denounced as political theatre by critics.
Jiang Tianyong, whose past clients include a wide range of activists such as the exiled dissident lawyer Chen Guangcheng, was sentenced on charges of “inciting subversion of state power” in the central city of Changsha on Tuesday morning, after languishing in detention for the past year.
Jiang said he would not appeal against the conviction, according to the court’s official social media account. He was also deprived of political rights for three years.
His case was part of a wider campaign focused on jailing and intimidating lawyers who took on politically sensitive cases that challenged the government. President Xi Jinping has overseen a sweeping crackdown on dissent since coming to power five years ago, and activists and diplomats have described it as the worst in three decades.
During his trial in August, Jiang said he attended training sessions abroad where he was encouraged to reject China’s political system and ruling Communist party, saying he was “ashamed”, according to state media reports.
