Authorities in the main Chinese province of Hunan have actually held the subversion trial of activist Ou Biaofeng, who publicly supported the pro-democracy motion in Hong Kong, in trick, RFA has actually found out.
Ou stood trial behind closed doors in Hunans Zhuzhou city on Jan. 27, facing charges of “subversion of state power,” inside the Zhuzhou No. 1 Detention Center, where Ou is being held.
Despite tight security around the center, 2 people handled to break through a security cordon and show a placard and shoot video showing assistance for Ou.
Ous wife Wei Huanhuan stated she wasnt enabled to participate in the trial, and that several state security police officers were enjoying her structure on the day.
” Apparently the trial was held in a court inside the detention center, and it wasnt open up to the general public,” Wei informed RFA. “They would not let member of the family in as observers, since of the pandemic.”
Cops had informed her that Ou wasnt being singled out for special treatment, which lots of cases are presently being heard in this way.
” But they likewise said member of the family couldnt go to due to the fact that of the nature of the case,” she said.
Wei said Ou was represented by a government attorney, whom she explained as “very passive.”
” We repeatedly attempted to worked out with the state security authorities, but they kept stating that these were Ou Biaofengs dreams,” she said. “We had been wanting to work with a legal representative of the kind we rely on … however Ou Biaofeng had been inside for so long that … he had no choose but to compromise [with authorities needs]”.
Wei stated it is tough to discover a good rights lawyer going to handle a dissidents case in China.
, so they were not able to get involved,” she stated.
The government attorney assigned to represent Ou was unavailable for comment on Thursday.
Activists saw, taken by cops.
A local rights activist who requested anonymity told RFA that 2 people were jailed on administrative sentences after being taken method by authorities, while a number of activists were put under surveillance and cops constraints ahead of the trial, to avoid them from revealing up in the very first location.
” Two individuals were apprehended … They took the authorities by surprise since they went there in the night,” the activist said. “A lot of people were put under restrictions on Jan. 26, and several were detained and placed under house arrest or kept at the police headquarters for stability maintenance.”.
The activist said they had likewise been required to leave Zhuzhou.
The activist stated security appeared to be much tighter than in previous years, potentially due to the forthcoming 20th Party Congress later on this year, which will decide whether to back another term in office for ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping.
” We essentially need to keep a low profile, and we cant go anywhere,” they said.
Prior to his detention, Ou had actually been a vocal supporter of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, starting from the 2014 Occupy Central project for universal suffrage, which later on widened into the Umbrella Movement, and continuing with his support for the 2019 anti-extradition movement, which expanded to include demands for complete democracy and responsibility for cops violence versus mainly tranquil protesters.
In August 2020, after nationwide security authorities raided the head office of the pro-democracy Apple Daily paper and its parent company Next Digital, Ou published a photo of himself to social networks holding a copy of the Apple Daily.
He likewise revealed his assistance for Next Digitals creator, pro-democracy media magnate Jimmy Lai, who is currently behind bars waiting for trial under a drastic nationwide security law enforced on Hong Kong from July 1, 2019, and gotten in touch with his pals to mail copies of the Apple Daily to Hunan to reveal assistance for the paper, as Hongkongers lined up to purchase copies in solidarity following the raid.
Equated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
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” We consistently attempted to worked out with the state security authorities, but they kept stating that these were Ou Biaofengs wishes,” she stated., so they were not able to get involved,” she stated.
