(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has appealed for clemency on humanitarian grounds for dissident He Depu. His trial was held in a Beijing court on 14 October 2003. The court now has 40 days to announce its verdict and pass a sentence. The circumstances of the dissident’s trial, which lasted only two hours and denied him the […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has appealed for clemency on humanitarian grounds for dissident He Depu. His trial was held in a Beijing court on 14 October 2003. The court now has 40 days to announce its verdict and pass a sentence. The circumstances of the dissident’s trial, which lasted only two hours and denied him the most basic defence rights, suggest that his sentence could be harsh. He Depu appeared to be in very poor health during his court appearance.
“He Depu is seriously ill and has been the victim of ill-treatment while in prison,” RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard said. “Keeping him in detention could prove fatal.”
He is accused of collaborating with the banned China Democracy Party and of using the Internet to distribute messages “inciting subversion”.
He Depu’s wife, Jia Jianying – the only person who was allowed to attend the trial aside from his lawyer – told RSF that her husband was constantly interrupted when he tried to speak during the hearing, especially when he raised the issue of the ill-treatment to which he has been subjected in prison. The dissident was forced to stand upright without moving during daytime hours for 85 days. He has lost a great deal of weight and his health has deteriorated seriously. His wife said he has a liver ailment and his condition is very worrying.
Jia Jianying had received no news of her husband since his arrest on 4 November 2002. Police officers assured her at the time that they were only taking him “for a walk.”
He Depu was born on 28 October 1956. He took part in the Democracy Wall movement in 1979 and founded the magazine “Beijing Youth”, which was subsequently banned. He also helped launch the now-banned China Democracy Party and was detained several times for his political activities. He lost his job with the Social Sciences Academy after standing as a candidate in local elections in 1990.