Current:Home > FinanceSupporters say China's Sophia Huang Xueqin, #MeToo journalist and activist, sentenced to jail for "subversion" -Golden Summit Finance
Supporters say China's Sophia Huang Xueqin, #MeToo journalist and activist, sentenced to jail for "subversion"
View
Date:2025-04-18 07:18:23
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! (9)
Related
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Meet the cast of 'The Summit': 16 contestants climbing New Zealand mountains for $1 million
- 'I am going to die': Colorado teen shot in face while looking for homecoming photo spot
- This anti-DEI activist is targeting an LGBTQ index. Major companies are listening.
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Teen Mom's Amber Portwood Slams Accusation She Murdered Ex-Fiancé Gary Wayt
- Alabama university ordered to pay millions in discrimination lawsuit
- Pac-12 adding Mountain West schools sets new standard of pointlessness in college sports
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- The Glossier Hot Cocoa Balm Dotcom Sold Every 5 Seconds Last Winter: Get Yours Before It Sells Out
Ranking
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Filipino televangelist pleads not guilty to human trafficking charges
- Florida school district must restore books with LGBTQ+ content under settlement
- Gulf Coast residents still reeling from Hurricane Ida clean up mess left by Francine
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Gracie Abrams mobilizes 'childless cat or dog people,' cheers Chappell Roan at LA concert
- Boat sinks during search for missing diver in Lake Michigan
- Nikki Garcia Shares Official Date of Separation From Artem Chigvintsev Amid Divorce
Recommendation
'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
Why Sister Wives’ Kody Brown Believes Janelle Brown Is Doing This to Punish Him
Marcellus Williams' Missouri execution to go forward despite prosecutor's concerns
Ferguson activist raised in the Black Church showed pastors how to aid young protesters
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
'The Roommate' review: Mia Farrow is sensational in a decent Broadway comedy
Under $50 Cozy Essentials for Your Bedroom & Living Room
Jon Bon Jovi helps woman in crisis off bridge ledge in Nashville