The US condemns the sentences of prominent Chinese human rights defenders

BEIJING. The United States on Friday condemned the “unjust imprisonment” of prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan, who were sentenced to three years and one year and nine months respectively by a Chinese court this week.

Yu, 56, and Xu were jailed on Tuesday on charges of “incitement to subvert state power” by the Suzhou Intermediate People’s Court, Chinese human rights website Weiquanwang reported, citing sources. Relatives of the couple could not be reached for comment.

“These sentences demonstrate the PRC’s ongoing efforts to silence those who advocate for human rights and the rule of law,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, referring to the People’s Republic of China.

The statement added that foreign diplomats, including those from the US mission, were barred from attending the trial. This week, the European Union, as well as the foreign ministries of France and Germany, also issued statements calling for their release.

Beijing police arrested them in April 2023 while on their way to a meeting with high-ranking EU officials. At the time, the EU said their arrest was of “serious concern” and called for their unconditional release.

In 2022, Yu was released from a four-year prison sentence for “subverting state power” after publishing an open letter calling for political reforms. He was also among more than 300 human rights defenders and activists arrested by Chinese authorities during a nationwide crackdown in 2015.

His activist wife, Xu Yan, advocated for his release and claimed that he suffered torture and ill health during his imprisonment. The authorities deny allegations of torture.

Yu received the 2018 Franco-German Human Rights Prize and the 2021 Martin Ennals Human Rights Prize. Reuters