Chinese Liu Hui, the brother-in-law of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for engaging in fraud related to a disputed land deal.
Reports say Chinese police arrested Liu Hui in January and was convicted for defrauding a man of 3 million yuan (370,000 euros, $490,000).
The defendant’s lawyer reportedly disclosed his client intended to appeal the verdict.
Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of subversion for his advocacy of democratic reforms in China.
US deeply concerned with the ruling
In a press statement by US Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki says the United States is deeply concerned that Liu Hui has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for fraud related charges.
Ms. Psaki notes that in May, 2011, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention determined the arrest and imprisonment of Liu Xiaobo and the extralegal house arrest of his wife Liu Xia to be in contravention of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The US government urged the Chinese authorities to immediately release Liu Xiaobo, and his wife Liu Xia. They also want the Chinese to guarantee Liu Xiaobo and his family members the protections and freedoms to which they are entitled under China’s international human rights obligations and commitments.
“As President Obama told President Xi in California last week, history shows that upholding universal rights is ultimately a key to success, prosperity, and justice for all nations.” – Ms. Psaki
Who is Liu Xiaobo?
UN experts said Liu Xiaobo is a courageous human rights defender who has continuously and peacefully advocated for greater respect for human rights” in China.
Liu Xiaobo worked as a professor at Beijing Normal University and co-authored the ‘Charter 08’ document calling for multi-party democracy.
UN asserts that the 1997 detention and sentence of re-education through labour for speaking out about China’s one-party political system to be arbitrary.
In December 2009, Mr. Liu was convicted by a Municipal Court in Beijing for “inciting subversion of State power” and sentenced to 11 years in prison and two years’ deprivation of political rights.
