China quake dissident gets 3 years

[Trien Chieu]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1374994/
http://news.google.ca/news/more?um=1...u_8Mbs2I27ahLM

China quake dissident gets 3 years

Beijing jails activist on state secrets charges; advised parents on shoddy school construction after deaths of 5,000 children

An advocate for the parents of children killed in last year's earthquake in China's Sichuan province was sentenced to three years in prison for what a judge ruled was illegally obtaining state secrets. The sentence is seen as a warning shot for those still trying to investigate the corruption and substandard construction believed responsible for collapsing schools.
Huang Qi, a well-known rights activist and blogger who had investigated the collapse of shoddily built school buildings in the earthquake, was arrested in June, 2008, after giving advice to parents trying to sue local authorities for their role in the disaster. The verdict was just announced Monday – the second such sentence for a prominent Chinese dissident within days of U.S. President Barack Obama wrapping up his first official visit to China. Mr. Obama was criticized for not being more vocal in his criticism of China's human-rights record during his visit.
Official government reports counted more than 5,000 schoolchildren among the estimated 80,000 killed in the May 12, 2008, earthquake. In many cases, the walls of schools collapsed in on the children while surrounding buildings remained intact, in what was bitterly dubbed by parents as “tofu” construction.
Amnesty International said Mr. Huang was prosecuted based on two city-government documents found in his home; Mr. Huang's wife, Zeng Li, has said any government materials he used were freely available to the public.
“State secrets charges have become the weapon of choice for the authorities when they are prosecuting cases when they can't really find anything that is against the law,” said Nicholas Bequelin, a Hong Kong-based senior Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch. “It also reflects the fact that what motivates the prosecutor and authorities was the desire to silence independent and critical voices on the handling of the earthquake. … They wanted to keep control of the power and prevent embarrassment.”
The sentence was read out in a 10-minute hearing in a Chengdu courtroom. Ms. Zeng was reported to have been allowed into the courtroom to hear the verdict, though she was not permitted to attend the trial.
“This is clearly revenge because he helped parents who lost their children during the Sichuan earthquake,” Ms. Zeng told reporters afterward. “They still won't say what the specific charge is, not even at the verdict. They just spoke of documents related to a certain matter.”
Mr. Huang's lawyer, Ding Xikui, told news agencies his client would appeal the sentence.
Mr. Huang was already known to Chinese authorities for running the Tianwang Human Rights Centre, as well as a website calling for greater political freedoms, and has already served several years in prison for “inciting subversion” – the court's term for his criticism of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. His friends and allies say he has a serious health condition stemming from his earlier prison term.
Mr. Huang is one of two high-profile Chinese activists arrested and tried after assisting parents in the isolated Wenchuan region of Sichuan province that was the earthquake's epicentre. The other, Tan Zuoren, is charged with inciting subversion of state power for calling for a complete list of students who died as well as further investigation into the construction of the schools, and is expected to face a verdict shortly.
Prominent Chinese artist and designer Ai Weiwei was beaten by local police when he tried earlier this year to testify in Mr. Tan's favour, and said the verdict for Mr. Huang has left him concerned for his own future. Mr. Ai has been kept under surveillance for trying to compile a list of the dead and missing schoolchildren.
“I heard this news and I think it's outrageous. … I think this shows the weakness of today's concept of justice and fairness in society,” Mr. Ai said Monday. “I'm afraid this will set up some kind of example for other areas, to really expand [authorities' power] on how to put more pressure on opposition.”

This is unbelievable.
How could this possible?

[Bubblegum]

That's completely harsh and uncalled for. I think everyone would agree that learning the lessons from poorly constructed buildings can help make future buildings better and helps save lives too.

They wanted to keep control of the power and prevent embarrassment.

I think this line says it all.

[Trien Chieu]

That's completely harsh and uncalled for. I think everyone would agree that learning the lessons from poorly constructed buildings can help make future buildings better and helps save lives too.

Quote:
They wanted to keep control of the power and prevent embarrassment.
I think this line says it all.

Agree. It's shameful that china keep using the lame excuse of "state secrets" as a way to charges the good people who stand up for the weak. So basically, if you are a chinese citizen, it's better for you if you do nothing, than do the right thing for the public.

[Guo Xiang]

Agree. It's shameful that china keep using the lame excuse of "state secrets" as a way to charges the good people who stand up for the weak. So basically, if you are a chinese citizen, it's better for you if you do nothing, than do the right thing for the public.

That's correct, actually. You get punished for standing up for what's right.

[PJ]

A message from TC which semi-advocates standing up for the weak?




What have you done with the real TC, mate?

[Trien Chieu]

That's correct, actually. You get punished for standing up for what's right.

Yes, that is the reality, unlike movie/TVseries where the righteousness always end up winning.

A message from TC which semi-advocates standing up for the weak?


What have you done with the real TC, mate?

If I were that guy, I would have learned the lesson and move on with my life and family. I would never do something stupid that I gain nothing with potential of going to jail. It's better to stay out of trouble by being "see no wrong and do no wrong".

[Guo Xiang]

If I were that guy, I would have learned the lesson and move on with my life and family. I would never do something stupid that I gain nothing with potential of going to jail. It's better to stay out of trouble by being "see no wrong and do no wrong".

You may think and feel very differently if it was you who had lost a kid to corruption, never got justice but instead got a talk-to-the-hand attitude.

[Trien Chieu]

You may think and feel very differently if it was you who had lost a kid to corruption, never got justice but instead got a talk-to-the-hand attitude.

I agree with you but you also have to look at the reality. The reality is people get punished for standing up for what is right. I am pretty sure Huang Qi is neither the first nor the last. I think I am smart enough to learn the valuable lesson from many many other people who got the unjust punishment from the marxist government. I rather be an average Joe than a tragic hero.

[Sparky]

I agree with you but you also have to look at the reality. The reality is people get punished for standing up for what is right.

But that doesn't make it wrong. Of course we can't all be heroes--many of us do prioritize our personal welfare, and that's not something I'd ever criticize someone for--but if everyone adopted that bystander attitude, how backwards our civilization would be! Oftentimes, there is no way to really effect change on the status quo except through civil disobedience, and I applaud people willing to accept the consequences for the greater good. Their actions aren't done in vain. Case in point--you're posting media coverage on his case.

...the marxist government...

Nuance, but this just made me cringe. Having read quite a bit of Karl Marx, I think it's a shame on his name that you would call the Chinese government "Marxist." Marx had very progressive views on individual liberty and hated dogmatism.

At any rate, I do agree this sounds awful...but I'll be honest, it's China. I'm not surprised.