Regime critics in Göttingen’s Chinese twin-town of Nanjing threatened with years in prison

A leading Chinese critic of the regime who was arrested on 13th November 2008 in Göttingen’s future twin-town of Nanjing is faced with life-long imprisonment. The formal charge of "subversion of state power” was brought against the former university professor Guo Quan a few days ago, reported the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) on Thursday in Göttingen. His mother Guo Xiao was informed by the public prosecutor’s office in Nanjing that a case against her son is being drawn up. The accused is not allowed representation by a lawyer since the case involves state secrets, said the legal authorities. Guo Xiao has not been allowed to visit her son in custody.

In several open letters to the Chinese government Guo Quan had called for a multi-party system for China and a democratisation of the country. The professor was then demoted to the position of "office-worker”. Guo Quan is also accused of founding the "Chinese New People’s Party” on 17th December 2007, which is above all concerned with more social justice, a determined fight against corruption and the misuse of power and an end to the policy of forcible resettlements. In the USA Guo Quan laid charges against the internet provider Yahoo because the company had closed all entries under the name of the dissident on its Chinese websites as a result of pressure from the Chinese authorities.