On Tuesday, Chinese authorities sentenced prominent human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng to three years in prison and his wife, Xu Yan, to one year and nine months. This sentencing followed their detention while they were en route to meet European Union officials in Beijing.
According to the Weiquangwang rights website, the couple was sentenced by the Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court. They were found guilty of “incitement to subvert state power” after a trial on August 28 that was attended by diplomats from over ten countries.
Yu and Xu were initially detained in April 2023 on charges of “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble,” a common accusation aimed at peaceful critics of the Communist Party. This charge was later escalated to the more severe accusation of “incitement to subvert state power.” Brussels has lodged a formal complaint regarding the incident.
