Page 11 - aruba-today-20190129

A11
WORLD NEWS Tuesday 29 January 2019

Prominent Chinese human rights lawyer sentenced to 4½ years

By DAKE KANG people accused of such
BEIJING (AP) — Prominent charges behind closed
Chinese human rights law- doors on the presumption
yer Wang Quanzhang was that opening them to the
sentenced to 4½ years in public might expose state
prison on the charge of sub- secrets — a practice activ-
version of state power Mon- ists say is a thin excuse for a
day, more than three years failure to provide solid evi-
after he was detained in a dence.
sweeping crackdown on Trials for rights activists in
the legal profession. China often draw out over
The No. 2 Intermediate years while the accused
Court in the northeastern are held under harsh con-
city of Tianjin announced ditions that can endanger
the sentence in an online their health, including fre-
statement, adding that quent accusations of tor-
Wang's political rights were ture, while being routinely
also being withheld for five denied the right to hire their
years. own legal representation
Wang's wife, Li Wenzu, told and receive visits from fam-
The Associated Press she ily members.
is worried about her hus- Li Wenzu, wife of prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang reacts after Wang's China's best-known pris-
band's health while he is sentencing, at her house in Beijing, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. oner of conscience, No-
incarcerated. Associated Press bel Peace Prize winner Liu
"Wang Quanzhang has Xiaobo, was serving an 11-
never committed a crime, on behalf of poor villagers ally released," Lau said in a being held without access year sentence for "inciting
but they still forcibly and represented members statement. to his lawyers or family since subversion of state power"
charged him with a crime," of the banned Falun Gong Human Rights Watch said 2015, when he became when he died of liver can-
Li said. "I think this is because meditation sect. the sentence made a one of more than 200 legal cer in 2017. He helped write
he wouldn't compromise Rights groups condemned "mockery of the 'rule of activists detained during a Charter 08, a manifesto
with them, wouldn't admit the verdict, with Amnesty law'" being championed crackdown. It wasn't clear calling for political and
any crime." International China re- by the ruling Communist whether his time in deten- economic liberalization.
"So I firmly refuse to recog- searcher Doriane Lau call- Party under President Xi Jin- tion would be counted Legal advocacy flour-
nize or accept this result," Li ing it a "gross injustice." ping. against his sentence. ished for a time after China
said. "It's outrageous that Wang "Authorities' treatment of The subversion charge is opened up its society and
Wang was a member of Quanzhang is being pun- him ... is the true metric of only hazily defined, and it economy in the late 1970s,
the Fengrui law firm that ished for peacefully stand- rule of law in China," the wasn't clear what specific as lawyers defended the
was well known for its ad- ing up for human rights in group said in a statement. acts Wang had been ac- disenfranchised and con-
vocacy work. As such, he China. He must be imme- Wang was tried in a closed cused of committing. The tributed to a nascent civil
pursued land rights cases diately and uncondition- hearing last month after authorities regularly try society.q

Thailand suspends patent applications

for medical marijuana

By KAWEEWIT KAEWJINDA tual Property to invalidate the regulated use of medi-
BANGKOK (AP) — Thai- all patent applications for cal marijuana but the leg-
land's military government medical marijuana prod- islation must be signed by
on Monday suspended the ucts, declaring that for the King Maha Vajiralongkorn
licensing of commercial time being commercial to become law. At that
marijuana-based products products from marijuana or point, new applications are
for medical use amid con- having the same molecular expected to be allowed
cern that foreign pharma- structure as the plant are that meet conditions speci-
ceutical companies might not supported under intel- fied under the law.
try to monopolize the mar- lectual property laws. The order was issued under
ket. The decree says it will re- special powers the military
Prime Minister Prayuth main in effect until legisla- government that seized
Chan-ocha's decree or- tion on medical marijuana power in 2014 gave itself to
ders the director of the comes into force. Parlia- implement laws without ap-
Department of Intellec- ment last month legalized proval from Parliament.q