In a secret court decision made on Wednesday, October 31, in the southwest city of Kunming (昆明), Cao Haibo (曹海波), a young internet café owner, was sentenced to eight years in prison after being detained for 13 months for “subversion of state power.” (Note: the verdict is “subversion of state power,” not “inciting to subvert state power.”) The verdict was notified of Cao Haibo’s lawyer Ma Xiaopeng (马小鹏) Thursday morning, Beijing time, via a phone call. The lawyer told 64tianwang.com, a Chengdu-based rights advocacy website, that it is outrageous that the Kunming Intermediary Court made the decision without the knowledge of either the lawyer or the family and that their procedures a violation of China’s own law. Cao Haibo and his wife, a young couple in their 20s, […]
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