Chinese Christian activist Gou Hongguo sentenced by court for discussing political issues with other activists

Chinese activist charged with ‘subversion’ for attending a meeting and a conference

BEIJING — A Chinese court on Friday found a Christian activist guilty of “subverting state power,” primarily for discussing political issues with other activists at a restaurant and attending a religious conference in Taiwan. After a one-day trial, the Second Intermediate People’s Court in Tianjin, a sprawling port city near Beijing, handed Gou Hongguo, 55, a…

Is China cracking down on dissent?

Chinese authorities are cracking down on activists they say are undermining the government. Several lawyers and professors are in court this week, facing charges such as “damaging national security” and “harming social stability”. Beijing says some of them have been trained and supported by Western governments, a charge to which a few defendants have confessed. But…