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Coalition for Citizens Rights is an human rights organization dedicated to freedom of speech and press, and internet freedom, in China. This organization was founded in May 2008, and its former website, http://www.cfcr2008.org/, has been constantly under attack since its appearance in June 2008. Attackers have compromised this website in 2010 and placed malicious code on it. We warn that this website is not to be opened even if it is back to normal. This website, http://www.gongminziyoulianmeng.blogspot.com/, shall serve as official site of "Coalition for Citizens Rights".

Freedom for Liu Xiaobo and Chen Guangcheng

We call on the Chinese government to release Liu Xiaobo, the 2010 Nobel Laureate for peace prize who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for writing "Charter 08", an article calling for rule of law, freedom of speech and constitutional reform; and freedom for Chen Guangcheng, a blind human rights lawyer who served 4 years and 3 months in prison for providing legal assistance to victims of forced abortion and sterilization and has been placed under house arrest since his release from prison in 2011.

Liu Xiaobo

Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo

Chen Guangcheng

Chen Guangcheng
Chen Guangcheng

2012年11月20日星期二

Protest 12-Year Prison Sentence for Li Bifeng 抗议判处李必丰12年重刑

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Poet Jailed For 12 Years

2012-11-19
Chinese rights activists say the jailing is part of Beijing's strategy to pin down activists on fabricated "economic crimes."

Photo courtesy of Li Bifeng's family.
An undated photo of Li Bifeng.
A court in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan on Monday handed a 12-year jail term to dissident poet Li Bifeng for "contract fraud," his relatives and lawyer said.

Aside from the imprisonment, Li Bifeng, 48, was imposed a fine of a 30,000 yuan (U.S.$4,800) by the Shehong County People's Court in a trial that lasted just over one hour, his lawyer Ma Xiaopeng said.

"He wouldn't let his family come to the trial because he had a feeling that this would be the result," Ma said, adding that some of Li's friends had attended the hearing as spectators. "I had expected a sentence of 15 years, so at least it's somewhat lighter," he said.

But he rejected the charges against Li. "Whatever the sentence, it's still unacceptable," Ma said. "[Li's actions] in no way add up to a crime."

"There was nothing in his affairs that had anything to do with contracts," he said. "The only contracts he had signed had long since expired."

'Disappointed'

Ma, who visited Li shortly after the sentence was handed down, said he was "disappointed" with the sentence, but thought an appeal might be a waste of time.

"He said he would think about it for a couple of days, but my feeling was that he probably didn't want to appeal, because he thought it wouldn't do much good."

"He said it would be better to use the next 12 years to produce some serious writing."

Li's wife Jiang Xia, who was unable to attend the trial, said the court had not yet informed the family of the sentence.

"I was very surprised, because I thought the only thing for them to do today would be to release him," she said. "Our son is 17 years old this year, and he cried when he heard the news."

Jiang said she hoped Li would decide to appeal, because the charges weren't straightforward.

"This is totally unacceptable, because the charges of contract fraud simply don't stand up," she said. "I think there must be some other factors involved here."

'Evil'

Germany-based exile author Liao Yiwu, who is a close friend of Li's, said the sentence was "evil."

Sichuan-based rights activist Huang Qi, who founded the Tianwang rights website, said China's crackdown on dissent was continuing unabated, even after the leadership transition at last week's 18th Party Congress.

"The authorities haven't let up their crackdown on dissidents in many long years," Huang said. "Now, because of concerns about China's human rights image overseas, they are taking measures to dress it up as something else."

"The use of 'contract fraud' as a charge to deal with Li Bifeng is quite ridiculous, because there weren't even any victims," he said. "We strongly condemn this sentence."

Li was detained in September 2011 after being asked to report to a police station in Sichuan's Mianyang city about his "economic problems."

Chinese rights activists say it is an increasingly common practice by the authorities to fabricate various "economic crimes" as a way of keeping a lid on dissent.

Prominent Chinese artist and social critic Ai Weiwei was detained in June 2011 and was released almost three months later, before being fined for "tax evasion," a charge he maintains was politically motivated.

Clampdown

Rights groups believe Li was held as part of a wider clampdown on activists following online calls in February for a "Jasmine" revolution inspired by uprisings in the Middle East.

Li is a prominent Sichuan poet and rights activist served five years in prison for his involvement in the 1989 pro-democracy movement, followed by a seven-year jail term in 1998 for reporting on a workers’
protest in Mianyang.

Reported by Grace Kei Lai-see for RFA's Cantonese service, and by Qiao Long for the Mandarin service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Radio Free Asia
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contact@rfa.org


Li Bifeng (李必丰)

Photography: Piao Yingmei 摄影:朴樱梅
Reporting: Xu Yishu            报道:许逸舒


On November 20, 2012, "Chinese Coalition for Citizens Rights" held a rally at the United Nations Square in protest of the 12-year prison sentence for Li Bifeng, a rights activist who was sentenced yesterday on charges of "contract fraud" for calling for freedom and democracy in China.
2012年11月20日,“中国公民自由联盟”在联合国广场举行集会,抗议将四川人权活动人士李必丰以“合同诈骗”的罪名判处12年有期徒刑。李必丰是因为号召在中国实现民主自由而被判刑。

Mr. Li Bifeng is a veteran democracy activist in Mianyang, Sichuan Province, China. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison in 1989 for his role in the 1989 student democracy movement. Later, he was sentenced to another 7 years in prison for advocating worker's rights.
李必丰先生是中国四川绵阳的一个民主人士。他在1989年因为参与学生民主运动,被判处5年徒刑。后来,他因为帮助绵阳丝绸厂的下岗工人维权,又被判处7年徒刑。



In November 2012, a court in Sichuan Province, China gave a 12-year prison sentence on Mr. Li for his role in continuously promoting freedom and human rights in China, as well as his role in the escape of renowned dissident writer Liao Yiwu to Germany.
2012年11月份,中国四川的一个法院将李必丰先生判处12年重刑,因为他不断倡导在中国实现自由和人权,并且他帮助了四川的异议作家廖亦武逃到德国。


At the rally, members of "Chinese Coalition for Citizens Rights" strongly protested the unjustified prison sentence for Mr. Li Bifeng and called for his immediate release.
在集会上,“中国公民自由联盟”的成员们强烈抗议将李必丰先生判刑入狱,要求立即释放李必丰先生。


Jiang Jiantian said at the rally that by speaking out for freedom and democracy in China, Mr. Li was only exercising his citizen's rights to freedom of speech, and he did not commit any crime by doing so.
江鉴天在集会上说,李必丰先生在中国公开倡导自由和民主,是在行使他作为公民的言论自由,这样做,他没有犯任何罪。

Xu Yishu said that from Li Bifeng's case, we can see that human rights conditions in China are getting worse and worse. Although the Chinese Constitution says that Chinese citizens are entitled to freedom of speech, in reality, this freedom is non-existent. She called on the Chinese government to release Li Bifeng immediately.
许逸舒在集会上说,从李必丰的案子,我们看到中国的人权状况在不断恶化。尽管中国的宪法规定,每个中国公民都享有言论自由,但在现实中,这种自由被剥夺了。她要求中国政府立即释放李必丰。

Yu Jie said that Li Bifeng is innocent, because he was only expressing his political views by peaceful means, and that it is not fair to sentence him to such a heavy prison term.
于捷在集会上说,李必丰是无罪的,因为他只是用和平的手段表达自己的政治观点,将他判刑入狱是完全不合理的。

At the rally, members of "Chinese Coalition for Citizens Rights" also called for the release of all political prisoners, such as Liu Xiaobo.
在集会上,“中国公民自由联盟”的成员们还号召中国政府释放所有的政治犯,比如刘晓波。


Members of "Chinese attending today's rally include: Zheng Jinghua, Dong Zhenghu, Guo Qing, Wei Jian, Jiang Jiantian, Li Jie, Shen Xuehua, Jin Lianji, Jin Hualin, Jiang Jiongri, Piao Xiangshun, Li Chenghao, Ming Jian, Xu Yingyu, Xu Yishu, Cao Jintao, Lin Rong, Zhang Xiangdun, Yu Jie, Piao Yingmei.
参加今天集会的“中国公民自由联盟”的成员有:郑京华,董正虎,郭清,魏坚,江鉴天,李捷,申雪花,金连姬,金花林,姜炯日,朴享顺,李成浩,明键,许英玉,许逸舒,曹金陶,林榕,章祥敦,于捷,朴樱梅。

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