Court authorities in Heyuan , Guangdong, have again postponed the appeal hearing of a Shenzhen lawyer jailed for inciting village protests when helping farmers in a legal battle over land disputes.
A Dongyuan county court sentenced Liu Yao to four years' jail early this year for instigating two protests in a village that resulted in property losses of about 50,000 yuan (HK$56,987) to the developer.
Li Kaiping , a Beijing-based lawyer who has volunteered to represent Liu, said Heyuan Intermediate People's Court had suddenly told him on Thursday night that it would delay the public appeal hearing scheduled for Monday.
'They [court officials] said they needed more time to investigate the case but did not tell us an exact date for the trial,' Mr Li said. 'The delay shows the change in the authorities' attitude to the case. It brings Liu Yao and us more hope for the final trial.'
It is the second time the appeal has been postponed.
Mr Li said the Heyuan court had planned a written verdict without a hearing and would have affirmed the judgment and four-year jail term.
