Chinese rights lawyer escapes jail term after admitting subversion
Court says Xie Yang was given lenient treatment after he pled guilty and expressed regret for his actions
A Chinese lawyer detained in a sweeping crackdown against human rights campaigners has been convicted of inciting subversion, but will not face a jail term as he pled guilty to the charges.
Xie Yang, 45, whose claims of torture while in custody drew international attention, was convicted by a court in Changsha in Hunan province.
The court released a video on Tuesday morning, showing the judge addressing Xie.
The judge said the lawyer had not caused severe damage to national security and social stability despite his intention to incite subversion.
“He has confessed to his criminal acts truthfully, pled guilty and expressed regret,” the judge said. “[He] can be punished with leniency according to the law.”
Xie, whose clients included Chinese villagers suing local governments for seizing their land, was detained in July 2015 during a nationwide round-up of rights lawyers and activists known as the “709 crackdown”.