Unfair trial against human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) has expressed sharp criticism of the trial against the Chinese human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, which took place in Beijing on Monday. The human rights organization described the charges as groundless and accused the court of trying to silence the civil rights activist merely because of his criticism of the policies of the Chinese authorities and the Communist Party’s unrestrained claim to power. Further, the STP described the arrests of supporters of the accused and the ruthless crackdown on journalists, foreign diplomats and friends of lawyer as scandalous. “The unfair trial marks a new low for the rule of law in the People’s Republic,” said the STP’s Asia-consultant, Ulrich Delius, in Göttingen on Monday.

The accused lawyer is expected to be convicted in the next few days. He is facing up to eight years in prison, although he declared himself innocent of all charges. The STP demands Pu Zhiqiang – who is also known as “China’s conscience” due to his extraordinary commitment towards human rights – to be released immediately. “More than any other Chinese human rights activist, he works for the rights of Uyghur and the Tibetans, for a coming-to-terms with the massacre on Tiananmen Square as well as the freedom of expression of artists and government critics,” said Delius.

According to the STP, the charges that Pu Zhiqiang might have “incited ethnic hatred” are absurd. “With his criticism of the brutal actions of the Chinese authorities against the Uyghur people, the dedicated lawyer has done a lot for the relationship between the Uyghurs and the Han Chinese,” Delius stated. “Accusing him of inciting ethnic tensions is a perversion of law. Clearly, the Chinese law is being abused. This is a biased judgement!”

The accused human rights lawyer had publicly criticized the Chinese politics in the unrest region of Xinjiang / East Turkestan in a microblog. He criticized the brutal and disrespectful actions of the Chinese security forces against the Uyghur people, making the failure of China’s national policy partly responsible for the increase of hopelessness and violence among the Uyghurs. “Most observers of the situation in Xinjiang / East Turkestan share Pu Zhiqiang’s view. It is a scandal that he is now facing a long prison sentence. This clearly shows that there is still no freedom of expression in China, especially for people who question the actions of the Communist Party,” criticized Delius.

Header Photo: Global Panorama via Flickr