China Sentences #MeToo Journalist Huang Xueqin to Five Years for Subversion

China Sentences #MeToo Journalist Huang Xueqin to Five Years for Subversion

Dil Bar Irshad | June 14, 2024 | 11:39 PM IST | Breaking News, China, World | Follow on Google News

China Sentences #MeToo Journalist Huang Xueqin to Five Years for Subversion

China Sentences #MeToo Journalist Huang Xueqin to Five Years for Subversion

Key Highlights:

1. Prominent #MeToo journalist Huang Xueqin sentenced to five years for subversion.
2. Huang played a pivotal role in China’s #MeToo movement and exposed widespread sexual harassment.
3. Amnesty International condemns the conviction, highlighting China’s crackdown on activists.

In China, where the Communist Party is intensifying efforts to dismantle civil society, a prominent #MeToo journalist has been sentenced to five years in prison on charges of subversion. Huang Xueqin, an independent journalist, was found guilty by the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court for “inciting subversion of state power,” her supporters revealed, as reported by CNN.

Huang’s colleague, labor activist Wang Jianbin, received a three and a half-year sentence. Both have been incarcerated since September 2021, enduring nearly three years in China’s opaque judicial system. Their trial, conducted behind closed doors, took place in September the following year.

Huang, 36, transitioned from investigative reporter for liberal media in Guangzhou to independent journalist, significantly contributing to China’s #MeToo movement. In 2018, she was central to the country’s first #MeToo case, using her social media influence to support a graduate student accusing her PhD supervisor of sexual advances. Huang also shared her own experiences of harassment during her time as a young intern, highlighting the pervasive issue through a 2018 survey revealing 84% of female journalists had faced harassment.

Huang and Wang were detained just before Huang was to depart for the UK to pursue a master’s degree on gender violence and conflict at the University of Sussex. Amnesty International condemned their convictions, marking the 1,000th day since their arrest, and criticized the Chinese government for suppressing activists.

The exact charges against Huang and Wang remain undisclosed, with supporters suggesting their arrest may be linked to weekly gatherings at Wang’s residence, where discussions on public affairs, including feminism, LGBTQ rights, labor issues, and environmental conservation, took place. Following their detention, over 70 associates were interrogated, some allegedly coerced into providing false testimonies.

Huang’s health deteriorated significantly during detention, with reports of weight loss, ceased menstruation, and persistent back pain. The crackdown has fragmented their community, silencing dissenting voices in China, as expressed by a close confidante.

This conviction underscores the Chinese government’s ongoing repression of civil society and activists advocating for human rights.

Dil Bar Irshad

Dil Bar Irshad is a seasoned journalist, hails from Jammu Kashmir's Doda, covers political, social, business stories, index stories.