Chinese dissent
December 26, 2011
Chen Xi has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for inciting subversion, according to his wife, Zhang Qunxuan, for 36 essays he wrote and published online.
57-year-old Chen maintains his innocence but will not appeal, according to his wife, who told AP: "Chen Xi told the court it did not take into consideration the things he has written as a whole, and has interpreted his words out of context. But they have power and they don't listen."
Zhang says the court's sentencing was particularly strict as Chen Xi is a repeat offender. The former soldier and factory worker was jailed for three years for participating in the 1989 Tiananmen protests and again from 1996 to 2005 for "counterrevolutionary offenses."
He was last arrested last month for campaigning for independent candidates to seek seats in the People's Congress assemblies.
The sentencing comes just days after Chen Wei, a dissident from Sichuan province in southwest China, received nine years on charges of "inciting subversion of state power." He had participated in anti-government protests earlier this year.
While there has been an increase in unrest throughout China, authorities have also cracked down on dissent for fear of a "Jasmine Revolution" inspired by 2011's "Arab Uprisings."
Author: Sarah Berning (AP, Reuters, dpa)
Editor: Arun Chowdhury