2014-07-11
Chinese election activist Li Biyun (C) seated on a wheelchair surrounded by supporters outside the court in Foshan city, Guangdong, Sept. 6, 2013.
Photo courtesy of a Li Biyun supporter.
Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong on Friday resumed the trial of a woman who had tried to stand as an independent parliamentary election candidate amid fears for her health and allegations of abuse in custody.
Political activist Li Biyun, 46, stood trial at the Shunde District People’s Court in Guangdong’s Foshan city on charges of “disrupting public order,” her lawyer and relatives said.
Her defense lawyer Liu Hao said Li would plead not guilty to the charge, though he fears a prison term is inevitable.
“I don’t think the chances of success are very high, but we’re hoping it will affect how long a sentence she receives,” Liu said after the first day of the trial on Friday.
“[Li Biyun] of course maintains her innocence, and she wants to pursue a complaint against those who hurt her [in custody],” he said.
“She named those who had beaten her in court today, and we submitted the complaint today, and the court accepted it.”
Li’s lawyers say she has been subjected to severe mistreatment inside a military hospital, where she was refused medical treatment, a bath, or clean clothes for months on end.Li Biyun denies public order charges and formally complains about ill-treatment in custody.
Torture, beatings
Li has also described prolonged torture, including beatings, at the hands of the Shunde district police department since her formal arrest in September 2012
