Yang Chunlin (; born 1954) is a human rights activist in

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. He has published numerous articles on human rights and land rights. In 2007, he helped organise a petition entitled, "We want human rights, not the Olympics." The petition reportedly collected over ten thousand signatures. Yang was convicted of "inciting subversion of state power" on 24 March 2008 and sentenced to five years in prison and two years of subsequent deprivation of political rights. Another activist involved with the open letter, Yuan Xianchen, was convicted of similar charged and sentenced to four years in prison. Yang was released from prison on 6 July 2012. In July 2007 he was arrested and charged with "

inciting subversion of state power In criminal law, incitement is the encouragement of another person to commit a crime. Depending on the jurisdiction, some or all types of incitement may be illegal. Where illegal, it is known as an inchoate offense, where harm is intended but ma ...

". His trial began in February 2008 in

Jiamusi Jiamusi (Manchu: ; formerly Kiamusze) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China. Located along the middle and lower reaches of the Songhua River, it faces Russia's Khabarovsk Krai across the Ussuri ...

, Heilongjiang and on 24 March of that year was sentenced to five years in prison. He maintained his innocence throughout the trial. During and after the hearing at which he was sentenced, Yang was reportedly beaten with an electric rod on at least two occasions. In a retrial on 19 September 2008, the

Municipal Intermediate People's Court upheld Yang's original sentence. According to those in attendance, the trial lasted for under 30 minutes. Yang was transferred to Xianglan Prison on 25 September 2008, for the remainder of his sentence. He has been described as a political prisoner. During a 2010 prison visit, Yang's family saw that his legs and face were swollen from a build-up of fluid, and he looked tired. Yang told his family that his heartbeat was irregular, and his heart often felt uncomfortable. He said the problem was that the prison did not give him any chance to do any exercise, even walking outdoors. He has no rest from forced labor, making cardboard boxes, except for sleep and very short meal breaks. He has told the prison management he feels unwell, but they have given him no medical attention.Amnesty International USA,201
'People's Republic of China The Olympics countdown-broken promises'
, ''Amnesty International USA'',2011.

References

External links

* Yang Chunlin,
A Blind Man Thinks and Sees Things More Clearly than Chinese Professors
" 1 July 2006 {{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Chunlin 1954 births Living people Chinese dissidents Chinese human rights activists Chinese prisoners and detainees Chinese activists Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by China

See also

References

External links