Nanjing journalist Sun Lin, who goes by the name Jie Mu online, has appeared in a Nanjing court on charges of “incitement to subvert state power”, says a source close to him and reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA).
Sun was said to be “frequently outspoken” against the use of apparent forced confessions by authorities and is reportedly refusing to accept the prosecutor’s version of events. Sun was scheduled to stand trial 9 February, 2018.
Maintaining his innocence, Sun has accused authorities of conjuring up a reason for his detention after the fact. Sun’s supposed actions of incitement include sending out and retweeting large quantities of social media with content calling for and end to communism and pro-democracy sentiment.
Sun spoke at his pre trial of supposedly being force fed medication through meals, whereby he began hiding them, subsequently producing the medication during the trial, Sun’s request to have the medication tested has apparently been met.
“Sun was initially detained by police on 16 November, 2016, as he shot video footage of the opening of the trial of Nanjing-based rights activist Wang Jian”, wrote Qiao Long for RFA. “He said he has been taken on an enforced, out-of-town ‘vacation’ ahead of the trial”.
Having already served a 4-year jail term for “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble” after publicising a group of forced evictees in Nanjing, Sun has support from Jiangsu-based rights activist Xu Qin, who has been placed on a travel ban.
Statistics gathered by the Committee to Protect Journalists, show China imprisoned 41 journalists in 2017, while country holding the dubious record in this respect was Turkey at 73.
Radio Free Asia is a nonprofit international broadcaster that disseminates news, information, and option across many countries in Asia. It is funded through an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors, an independent U.S. agency.
