Front figures from “civic movement” jailed for a decade for criticizing the Communist Party’s handling of the pandemic. This is stated by their support group.
Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong have been convicted of “undermining state power”. They have been sentenced 12 and 14 years in prison, respectively.
The trial against the two men took place behind closed doors.
Xu and Ding have been leading figures in “The New Citizens’ Movement.” The movement fights for legal reforms in China.
Ding was arrested in December 2019 for attending a secret meeting with human rights activists and lawyers critical of the Communist Party.
Xu was arrested three months later for criticizing Xi Jinping’s handling of the corona crisis at pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong. Xu previously served a four-year sentence for criticizing the Communist Party leadership.
President Xi Jinping long maintained a zero cases strategy, which led to widespread protests. In December, the corona regulations were relaxed in several places in the country, and the controversial strategy began to slowly disappear.
Source: nordjyske.dk
