(Shanghai) During the outbreak of COVID-19, the virus spread from Wuhan to the major city of Shanghai. Human rights activist Ji Xiaolong, who opposed the extreme “zero-COVID” measures, was tried on June 21st.
No verdict announced
The trial took place in the 9th Court of the Pudong New Area People’s Court in Shanghai. Defense attorneys claimed to refute evidence in the indictment. However, no immediate verdict was announced in the courtroom.
Ji Xiaolong’s condition
According to Weiquanwang, a family member the defendant, Ji Xiaolong changed a lot while in prison. “Long-term detention and abuse caused Ji Xiaolong’s hair to turn mostly gray,” he said, “and his once upright figure has become hunched.”
Illegal proceedings
Ji had no prior knowledge of the scheduled trial. Prison guards informed him that same morning. He protested to the judge and requested a reschedule. According to the provisions of China’s criminal law, the summons should be served to involved parties three days before the trial. Ji also told the judge that the detention center confiscated his self-defense materials. However, the presiding judge, Judge Bai Yanli, continued with the illegal proceedings.
Coerced statements
The defense moved to exclude illegal evidence, such as the coerced statements from Ji Xiaolong and his girlfriend. Surprisingly, this request was supported by the prosecutor and the panel of judges.
A concocted scheme
Ji also pointed out the fabricated basis for the case. The Shanghai Public Security Bureau planned to retaliate against him and his opposition to zero-COVID. Ji Xinghua, the defendant’s father, revealed that the prosecution used his son’s public criticism on Twitter as evidence.
So-called evidence
The prosecution accused Ji Xiaolong of publishing a post on Twitter insulting the country’s leaders. Ji Xiaolong denied the accusation. During cross-examination, defense attorneys Ma Tianlin and Ji Zhongjiu argued that the collection of relevant evidence was illegal and did not prove the existence of any criminal behavior. Much of his criticism aligned with the freedom of speech stipulated in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China.
Background
In the summer of 2022, Ji Xiaolong sent a petition to the then Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and the current Premier of the State Council of China, Li Qiang. In the petition, he criticized the lockdown in Shanghai, which he believed led to a humanitarian disaster. He demanded that Li Qiang step down and be held accountable for the major incident. Subsequently, police took away Ji Xiaolong and placed him in criminal detention.
Charges
On August 31, 2022, Ji Xiaolong was taken away from his home by the police at Meiyuan Xincun Police Station in Shanghai. On September 23, he was approved for arrest by the Pudong New Area People’s Procuratorate in Shanghai on charges of picking quarrels and provoking trouble. This arrest came only six months after his previous release from prison. The charges against him are absurd. As a result, the case was sent back for supplementary investigation on January 5th of this year.
The end of zero-COVID
A few months after Ji Xiaolong opposed the closure, Chinese authorities fully relaxed the epidemic control measures. Ji Hyo-ryong and his Korean fiancée, Ms. Ahn, are both devout Christians that have requested prayers from the public.
~Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent of ChinaAid
