Liu Xianbin -
Veteran Chinese dissident sentenced to ten years in prison
On March 25 2011, veteran Chinese dissident Liu Xianbin was given a ten-year sentence for "inciting subversion of state power" for allegedly publishing eight articles that advocated for human rights and democracy in overseas e-journals. A freelance writer and Honorary Member of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre, Mr Liu was formally arrested on July 5, and on July 21 his case was handed over to the Procuratorate with a police recommendation for prosecution. He was sentenced amidst the crackdown on dissidents following the uprisings in the Arab world, which saw 24 lawyers, writers, artists and writers detained by Chinese authorities.
Chinese writer Liu Xianbin
Xianbin has been targeted by Chinese authorities since his involvement in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests for democracy, for which he served two years in prison. After helping establish the Chinese Democratic Party in 1999, he was arrested again and received a 13-year sentence. His wife told the New York Times that, after his release, authorities deprived him of a chance to have a normal life by ordering prospective employers not to hire him and restricting his freedom to work in places other than Suining, a city in Sichuan. His frustration drove him to return to his dissident work and he was again arrested on 5 July and 21 July 2010.
In March 2011, the High Commissioner of Human Rights of the United Nations publicly voiced concerns about Liu Xianbin's imprisonment, condemning the lengthy sentence as extremely harsh and reflective of the severe limitations on freedom of expression in China.
Sydney PEN fears that Mr Liu is detained solely for peacefully exercising his right to free expression, and is working to raise his case with the Chinese government.
FURTHER INFORMATION
THE NEW YORK TIMES - "Chinese Democracy Activist Is Given 10-Year Sentence",25 Mar 2011
THE UNITED NATIONS- "UN rights chief speaks out against ‘extremely harsh’ sentence given to Chinese activist", 25 Mar 2011