Free Yang

Yang Chunlin is a brave man fighting for Human Rights in his country : China.
But because of his slogan “We don’t want the Olympics, we want human rights.” he was sentenced, the 24th of march, 2008, to 5 years imprisonment.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070904062003.m7jreun 7&show_article=1
2007 :
Yang Chunlin was arrested in northeast China's Heilongjiang province on July 6 and charged on Monday with attempting to subvert state power, according to a statement by China Human Rights Defenders, a loose coalition of activists.
Veteran dissident Hu Jia said the arrest was part of a government crackdown to "clear up" politically sensitive cases ahead of the 2008 Beijing Games.
"Right now I'm helping Yang Chunlin to hire a lawyer," Hu told AFP by phone from the Beijing home where he lives under tight police control.
"The authorities have threatened Yang's family and relatives. Yang's wife dares not speak to anyone because of the threats."
According to China Human Rights Defenders, Yang's arrest was linked to an open letter entitled "We Want Human Rights, Not The Olympics," which was signed by more than 10,000 people, including many Heilongjiang farmers.
Yang had been helping the farmers seek legal redress over the loss of their farmlands due to land expropriation, it said.
Land confiscation has become a hot social issue in China. Ordinary citizens routinely accuse local officials of colluding with land developers in lucrative real estate deals that begin with government-backed land acquisitions.
Rights activists say large numbers of Beijing residents have been forced from their homes by Olympics-related construction projects.
The rights group called Yang's arrest "alarming" and expressed shock at the apparent willingness of the government to make opposition to the Olympics "a political crime."
"The China Human Rights Defenders condemn the arrest of Yang Chunlin on suspicion of subversion because he dissented from the official line on the Olympics," its statement said.
"The Ministry of Public Security's direct involvement in ordering Yang's arrest, and the subversion charge against him, point to the nervousness and political sensitivity with which the government views efforts to link the Olympics and human rights."
http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/china-farmer-right s-activist-yang-chunlin-sentenced-to-5-years-for-against-bei jing-olympics/
Olympic human rights activist Yang Chunlin was sentenced to five years imprisonment Tuesday for ‘inciting subversion of state power’ by championing his cause with the slogan, “We don’t want the Olympics, we want human rights.”
While being taken from the courtroom, police shocked him with electric batons in front of his family. The 20-minute trial took place in the Jiamusi City Intermediate People’s Court in Heilongjiang Province.
Rejecting that the Chinese authorities’ judicial system is legitimate, Yang refused to sign the court document and insists he will not appeal his sentence.
Yang, a 53-year-old unemployed factory worker, is also is a freelance writer under the pen-name, “Wei Houren.” At the end of 2006, Yang advocated for farmers who lost their farmlands in Fujin City, Heilongjiang. He collected over 10,000 signatures on an open petition letter titled, “We want human rights, not the Olympics.” On July 6, Yang was arrested by the National Security Bureau in Jiamusi. On August 13, he was charged with ‘inciting subversion of state power.’
Yang’s attorney Li Fangping stated that his client received a sentence that was unduly harsh. He said Yang will now have ten days to decide whether to appeal.
Yang’s sister, Yang Chunping, explained that the court hearing, beginning at 3pm on the afternoon of March 24, lasted about 20 minutes in total.
“The court sentenced him to five years imprisonment and two years deprivation of political rights, on charges of ‘inciting subversion of state power’ because he posted articles online attacking the ruling regime,” said Chunping.
“When asked for his opinion of the verdict, [my brother] declared that the Chinese judicial system isn’t legal at all. So what kind of opinion could he have over the sentence? Because his behavior is in complete compliance with the country’s freedom of speech laws, his sentencing was not legal. Therefore, he refused to sign on the written judgment. He also expressed that he would not appeal, a decision he had already determined.”
Police Beat Yang with Electric Batons on Site
After the hearing, Chunping said her brother was quickly taken away from court. His family members wished to say a few words to him, urging him to reconsider an appeal. But court police prevented any contact with his family by shocking Yang with electric batons.
“Our family members only wanted to tell my brother to appeal, but the police didn’t allow him to speak. They used electric batons to shock him several times,” said Chunping. “My brother was hurt so terribly that he covered his abdomen with his hands. Upon witnessing this tragic scene, my family members all cried loudly in protest and officers quickly threw my brother into a police vehicle.”
“Although my brother didn’t sign the sentence in writing after the hearing, the court forced my sister to sign a copy for relatives. We don’t know whether this will have any legal effect.”
With no signature Yang’s sentence was still valid, said Attorney Li Fangping, as the court had an open hearing.
If Yang did choose to appeal, Li said he would still continue to represent him. But said the case is possibly over, as Yang had openly expressed that he would not appeal.