BEIJING (AP) – One of China’s most prominent human rights lawyers is set to be freed after a Beijing court on Tuesday gave him a suspended prison sentence in a case involving online comments critical of the ruling Communist Party.
The court convicted Pu Zhiqiang on charges of disturbing public order and inciting ethnic hatred, and sentenced him to three years in prison but said the sentence will be suspended for three years.
Still, the guilty verdict disqualifies Pu from practicing law, and he must comply with certain restrictions and not commit crimes during the three-year period or risk being jailed.
Human rights group Amnesty International welcomed the suspended sentence but condemned the guilty verdict.
“Clearly it is positive that Pu Zhiqiang is unlikely to spend another night in jail, yet that cannot hide the gross injustice against him,” said William Nee, China researcher at Amnesty International in a written statement. “He is no criminal and this guilty verdict effectively shackles one of China’s bravest champions of human rights from practicing law.”