The Chinese government last week formally charged six civil rights lawyers it detained in July with political subversion. The charges came only a week after an official meeting when a top party official invited 12 lawyers to make judicial reform suggestions.
Three lawyers from Beijing Fengrui Law Firm, including managing partner Zhou Shifeng, and associates Wang Yu and Wang Quanzhang, were charged with “subversion of state power,” which could carry a potential life sentence according to the Chinese Criminal Law. Associates Xie Yang, Xie Yanyi and Sui Muqing are charged with “inciting subversion of state power,” a similar but lighter charge that carries a maximum of 15-year prison sentence.
