A prominent #MeToo activist in China has been sentenced to five years in prison for “subversion against the state”.
Sophia Huang Xueqin was convicted and sentenced on Friday, nearly 10 months after she was tried.
Labor activist Wang Jianbing, who was tried with Ms. Huang, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
Ms. Huang, 36, has been one of the most prominent voices in China’s #MeToo space, reporting groundbreaking stories about victims of sexual abuse.
She also spoke about the misogyny and sexism she faced in Chinese newsrooms.
Chinese authorities have not made clear how the two were accused of subversion. The trial was a closed-door hearing.
But his supporters say they were detained because they organized regular meetings and forums for young people to discuss social issues.
Huang was on her way to a UK government-sponsored master’s scholarship at the University of Sussex when she was detained at Guangzhou city airport in 2021.
Mr. Wang, 40, was with her at the time.
Supporters say both endured months of solitary confinement during their pre-arrest custody, which lasted nearly 1,000 days. The trial only started in September 2023.
A BBC Eye investigation in 2022 found that both were being held in solitary confinement, held in secret locations known as “black prisons”.
In 2021, in the midst of Covid-related confinements and growing public outrage, Chinese authorities launched a crackdown on several activists working in different areas.
“Their efforts and dedication to work, women’s rights and civil society in general will not be negated by this unfair trial, nor will society forget their contributions,” campaign group Free Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing said.
“On the contrary, as oppression persists and injustice grows, more activists like them will continue to rise.”
Amnesty International on Friday called the convictions “malicious and completely unfounded”.
“[They] show how terrified the Chinese government is of the emerging wave of activists who dare to speak out to protect the rights of others,” said Sarah Brooks, China director at Amnesty International.
“#MeToo activism has empowered survivors of sexual violence around the world, but in this case, Chinese authorities sought to do exactly the opposite by eradicating it.”
It is unclear whether the time already served by the pair will contribute to a reduced sentence.
Public reaction to Ms. Huang’s trial was previously mixed – with some online condemning the case, while other critics of the feminist movement welcomed it.
Many advocates of gender rights and social causes in China choose to remain anonymous online.
They have often been accused of being “agents of hostile Western forces” by state and nationalist Internet media outlets.
