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Chinese human rights lawyer Lu Siwei has been sentenced to 11 months in prison following a closed-door trial held in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on charges of "illegally crossing the border," according to his wife, Zhang Chunxiao, who currently resides in the United States, as reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Lu, 52, was detained in Laos in July 2023 while attempting to travel to the US to reunite with his family. Despite possessing a valid Chinese passport and a US visa, he was arrested in Vientiane, the Lao capital, and held for over a month before being forcibly repatriated to China. His return sparked concern among rights groups, who argued that the incident reflected Beijing's growing use of transnational repression--exerting pressure and enforcing its will on critics outside its borders, RFA reported. A former insurance lawyer, Lu became known for representing clients in politically sensitive cases, including one of the 12 Hong Kong activists detained in 2020 while trying to flee to Taiwan. In 2021, he was stripped of his legal license and banned from international travel. He faced constant state surveillance and harassment due to his activism, according to RFA. Following his forced return to China, Lu was held at the Xindu Detention Centre in Sichuan and later released on bail in October 2023. He was re-arrested in October 2024 as Chinese authorities pursued the border-crossing charges, RFA reported. During Friday's hearing, which was closed to the public, Lu's defence team requested that time already served--including his detention in Laos--be taken into account for a reduced sentence. The court rejected the appeal and additionally fined him 10,000 yuan. His legal team estimates that, factoring in previous detention periods, Lu will remain imprisoned until at least August 9. Lu intends to appeal the verdict. His wife criticised the lack of transparency, stating that all requests for a public trial were denied. "On April 16, during a pre-trial meeting, supporters attempting to attend were forcibly removed," RFA reported. "On the day of the trial, no public access was permitted." Friends and activists were reportedly followed, warned, or detained by police to prevent them from approaching the court, according to RFA. (ANI)
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