Human Lives Human Rights: A Chinese human rights lawyer, Chang Weiping, who revealed his torture by the police in a video clip, has been given a three-and-a-half year prison term for “subversion of state power” in a secret trial at Feng County Detention Centre, Shaanxi province.
Chang was punished for exercising his right to free speech and that he faced further risk of torture and other ill-treatment in prison. His trial is unfair and his wife was also barred from attending. Chang has also been denied regular access to his lawyer throughout his detention.
Chang is a human rights lawyer from Baoji City, Shaanxi, who has defended the rights of people facing discrimination based on their health status, gender identity or sexual orientation. He was first detained for 10 days in January 2020 after attending a private meeting with other human rights activists in Xiamen in December 2019. The authorities also took away his law license in January 2020.
In October 2020, Chang posted a video clip on YouTube in which he shared how he had been tortured by the police during his detention in January 2020. He said that he had been tied to a “tiger chair” for 24 hours a day and interrogated 16 times over 10 days. He also said that he had been under heavy surveillance after his release in January 2020.
Six days after posting the video, he was detained again by the authorities. He was initially held in a secret location for up to six months. He was only allowed to see his lawyer after being charged with “subversion of state power” on 16 April 2021. He had been held incommunicado for nearly a year. His lawyer’s and family’s requests to see him were arbitrarily rejected by the authorities.
Chang was found guilty of “subversion of state power” in a closed-door trial at the Feng County People’s Court, Shaanxi, on 26 July 2022.
Meanwhile, Chang’s parents and other family members have faced ongoing surveillance and harassment. They have reported being followed, having their phones confiscated and being questioned by the police whenever they have visitors. Chang’s wife said authorities threatened her job if she continued to speak out on Chang’s case.
