China convicts Christian lawyer of subverting state power
BEIJING — A Chinese court has convicted a prominent Christian human rights lawyer on charges of subverting state power and sentenced him to three years in prison, with the sentence suspended for four years, the court said Friday.
Li Heping was one of hundreds detained in July 2015 in a crackdown by Chinese authorities on rights lawyers and activists. He is among four lawyers and a number of activists still in detention. According to law, he will not have to serve the three-year sentence if he doesn’t commit any other offences during the four-year suspension period, although he has already been detained for almost two years.
As a lawyer, Li defended dissidents, victims of forced evictions and members of the banned Falun Gong meditation sect.
The Tianjin No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court said in an online statement that Li’s trial was held Tuesday behind closed doors because the case involved state secrets.