After two years in detention, a Chinese journalist who spoke up against sexual harassment stood trial on subversion charges on Friday along with a labor rights activist, the latest example of Beijing’s intensified crackdown on civil society.
Huang Xueqin, an independent journalist who was once a prominent voice in China’s #MeToo movement, and her friend Wang Jianbing, the activist, were taken away by the police in September 2021 and later charged with inciting subversion of state power.
Their trial was held at the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court in southern China.
Little is known about the government’s case, but the vaguely worded offense with which the two were charged has long been seen as a tool for muzzling dissent.
A steady stream of activists, lawyers, tycoons and intellectuals have been put on trial and sentenced.
Persons:
Beijing’s, Huang Xueqin, Wang Jianbing, Xi Jinping, Huang
Organizations:
People’s, Communist Party, Human Rights
Locations:
Chinese, Guangzhou, China