Word: weies
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Ignoring international human rights concerns, China sentenced its best-known dissident, Wei Jingsheng, to 14 years' imprisonment for sedition, citing his nonviolent advocacy of democratic reforms. Wei has already served 14 1/2 years in prison for his essays calling for political freedom during the 1978-79 Democracy Wall movement...
FlorCruz reports that the sudden verdict and sentencing of Wei after he spent 20 months in jail without being charged with anything has many Western observers puzzled. "They've been able to get away with indefinitely detaining him without hearing too much international outcry. So why try him now? Perhaps internal politics demand that the leadership do something firm to appear strong they prepare for the upcoming struggle over Deng's succession...
Reinforcing its image as a human-rights-challenged state, China charged prominent dissident Wei Jingsheng with attempting to overthrow the government. Wei, who has enjoyed just six months of freedom since being arrested in 1979 for his leadership of the Democracy Wall movement, was rearrested in April 1994 and held without charge. He now faces a long prison term or possibly even execution...
Chinese officials have formally charged Wei Jingsheng, the country's most prominent dissident, with attempting to overthrow the government, according to a report from the state-run Xinhua news agency. Wei, who served 15 years in prison for his involvement in the 1978 "democracy wall" movement, disappeared under police custody 20 months ago after continuing to speak out against the government. "It is not immediately clear whether Wei's trial is already underway," reports Beijing bureau chief Jaime FlorCruz, "but sources here think that the Xinhua report signals that the stage is set. By formally indicting Wei, Beijing must...
...real question, FlorCruz says, is why the government bothers to go through the formalities of a trial: "Some analysts see it as a concession to the hardliners who have complained that the government has been too "soft" toward dissidents like Wei. Others say that Beijing has decided that it could crack down on dissidents and get away with it, in spite of anticipated protests and diplomatic pressure from Western countries like the U.S. Still others view it as Beijing's attempt to publicly discredit Wei by depicting him, to the local and international audience, as a despicable criminal, to counter...