Report: China Lawyer's Sentence Suspended

BEIJING -- A Chinese activist lawyer was convicted of subversion for posting political essays on foreign Web sites and received a suspended three-year prison sentence, a state news agency reported Friday.

Gao Zhisheng was detained in August amid a crackdown on Chinese lawyers who represent clients with grievances against the government regarding corruption, land seizures and other complaints.

Gao was convicted based on nine articles posted on Web sites abroad, the Xinhua News Agency reported, disclosing the details of the charges against him for the first time. It said the articles "defamed and made rumors about China's current government and social system, conspiring to topple down the regime."

Xinhua did not say when the verdict was handed down. Phone calls to the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court, where Gao's trial took place, were not answered.

Gao will be under supervision for five years, and if he breaks the law during that period the three-year sentence will be reinstated, Xinhua reported. He also was stripped of political rights for one year. Under Chinese law, such rights include free speech and the ability to gather or protest.

Xinhua said Gao's sentence was lenient because he "voluntarily reported others' offenses and provided important clues for cracking other cases."

Gao's one-day trial took place two weeks ago, but his lawyer Mo Shaoping was barred from attending on the grounds that it involved official secrets.

"I have still not received the verdict from the court," Mo said. "I shouldn't comment before seeing the verdict, but for the sentence I can say it is not heavy and within my expectations. If the sentence is suspended, he could be released on bail very soon."

Xinhua said articles cited at Gao's trial had titles such as "Three Open Letters to Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao," referring to China's president and premier, and "The Regime Has Never Stopped Killing People."

It said they appeared on Web sites such as the Falun Gong-affliated Epochtimes.com.

Gao also gave interviews to foreign media "and the records of his seditious talks were made into audio programs and posted on their Web sites for online listening and downloading," Xinhua said.

The Chinese government has been tightening restrictions on lawyers this year in an apparent effort to contain a surge in politically sensitive cases. The new restrictions require lawyers to follow government guidance in handling cases, to avoid talking to foreign reporters and to discourage clients from protesting.

A group of more than 50 foreign scholars and human rights campaigners issued a public appeal in October for Beijing to stop harassing activists, citing the cases of Gao and others.