A journalist who tried to launch the #MeToo movement in China and a labor rights activist have been charged with “inciting state subversion,” a support group said on Saturday.
Journalist Sophia Huang Xueqin and union activist Wang Jianping, who were arrested in 2019 and detained for two years, are scheduled to witness their opening trial on Friday in the southern city of Guangzhou, according to their supporters.
The municipal prosecutor accused the journalist of “conducting and organizing training” and the activist of “publishing or re-publishing false data” with the aim of undermining the authority of the state, according to a message published by the support group on Saturday on social networks.
They are also accused of “organizing regular meetings in Guangzhou” for the same purpose, the group wrote on X (formerly Twitter), posting screenshots of a document presented as the act of accusation.
The Chinese journalist was accused of “publishing distorted and provocative articles and speeches attacking the national government on social media” and “gathering organizers from abroad to participate in online training on non-violent actions,” according to screenshots.
Prosecutors accuse Wang of publishing “false articles and speeches attacking the Chinese political system and government” and joining “online (subversive) groups abroad,” including a group commemorating the oppressive killer who participated in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, prosecutors said. Indictment filed.
The two Chinese activists are also accused of organizing meetings starting in November 2020 in Guangzhou, where they “encouraged participants to show their dissatisfaction with Chinese power under the pretext of discussing social issues.”
The court, where the trial is taking place behind closed doors, has not announced the indictment publicly and AFP was unable to independently verify the screenshots.
Sophia Huang Xueqin described on social media her experience with sexual harassment when she was a young journalist at a Chinese news agency, following the #MeToo movement.
Her supporters reported in February that the activist had lost a lot of weight, was suffering from back pain, and was no longer menstruating, indicating health problems.
The Chinese regime is increasingly repressing civil society movements and human rights defenders.
