Current:Home > FinanceSupporters say China's Sophia Huang Xueqin, #MeToo journalist and activist, sentenced to jail for "subversion" -TrueNorth Capital Hub
Supporters say China's Sophia Huang Xueqin, #MeToo journalist and activist, sentenced to jail for "subversion"
View
Date:2025-04-15 14:22:15
Prominent #MeToo journalist and activist Sophia Huang Xueqin, 36, was convicted by a court in China of "subversion against the state" on Friday and given a five year prison sentence, according to her supporters.
Huang reported groundbreaking stories about sexual abuse victims and survivors in China, and had spoken about misogyny and sexism she faced herself in newsrooms of the state-run media. Her trial was held behind closed doors at the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court in southern China.
The verdict was not immediately confirmed by Chinese judicial authorities.
Huang was detained alongside labor rights activist Wang Jianbing in 2021 at an airport in Guangzhou. Their supporters say they were held in solitary confinement for months during their pre-trial detention, and that the trial only began in September 2023.
According to a Friday social media posts by the "Free Huang Xueqin & Wang Jianbing" group, the charges against Huang related to meetings she had led in Guangzhou from late 2020, during which the court ruled she had "incited participants' dissatisfaction with Chinese state power under the pretext of discussing social issues."
- Woman's appeal rejected in landmark China #MeToo case
The supporters' group said Wang was also sentenced on Friday, to three years and six months in prison, on the same charges.
#Update The verdict was delivered this morning. #HuangXueqin received a 5-year prison sentence, and #WangJianbing was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months. Huang declared in court that she would appeal. Wang's decision to appeal is pending, upon consultation with his lawyer. pic.twitter.com/LmpKO8CHXR
— Free Huang Xueqin & Wang Jianbing 释放雪饼 (@FreeXueBing) June 14, 2024
When she was arrested at the airport, Huang had been on her way to start working toward a masters degree in Britain, on a U.K.-government sponsored scholarship program.
The convictions "show just how terrified the Chinese government is of the emerging wave of activists who dare to speak out to protect the rights of others," Amnesty International's China Director Sarah Brooks told CBS News' partner network BBC News on Friday.
Amnesty International called the convictions "malicious and totally groundless."
Chinese authorities launched a crackdown on activists working in different fields in 2021, BBC News reported.
"#MeToo activism has empowered survivors of sexual violence around the world, but in this case, the Chinese authorities have sought to do the exact opposite by stamping it out," Brooks said.
- In:
- Discrimination
- Women
- Sexual Harassment
- Human Rights
- #MeToo Movement
- China
- Asia
Haley Ott is the CBS News Digital international reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau.
Twitter InstagramveryGood! (98)
Related
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Mark Zuckerberg's first tweet in over a decade is playful jab at Elon Musk's Twitter
- Video shows the moment a 6-year-old boy fell 40 feet from a zip line in Mexico — and survived
- Kathy Griffin Spends Easter Holiday Getting MRI One Year After Cancer Battle
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- 700 arrested in fifth night of French riots; mayor's home attacked
- In hurricane-wrecked Southern Louisiana, longtime residents consider calling it quits
- Russian investigative reporter Elena Milashina savagely beaten in Chechnya, rights groups say
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Check Out the Most Surprising Celeb Transformations of the Week
Ranking
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Despite climate change promises, governments plan to ramp up fossil fuel production
- Weekend storms bring damage to parts of Southern U.S.
- Jonas Brothers Twin With Molly Shannon's Sally O'Malley on SNL
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Manchin's Holiday Gift To Fellow Dems: A Lump Of Coal On Climate Change
- Pregnant Peta Murgatroyd and Maks Chmerkovskiy Share Glimpse Inside Tropical Baby Moon
- Tag Along For Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey's Picture-Perfect Spring Break
Recommendation
Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
Israel ends deadly raid in West Bank Palestinian refugee camp, but warns it won't be a one-off
This is what the world looks like if we pass the crucial 1.5-degree climate threshold
Blake Lively Shares Chic Swimsuit Pics From Vacation With Ryan Reynolds and Family
Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
Pope Francis names 21 new cardinals, including prelates based in Jerusalem and Hong Kong
U.S. Treasury chief Janet Yellen pushes China over punitive actions against American businesses
Kristen Stewart’s Birthday Tribute From Fiancée Dylan Meyer Will Make You Believe in True Love