A chinese female journalist #Me Too activist in China has been handed a five-year jail sentence for “subversion against the state.
Sophia Haung Xueqin was convicted and sentenced on Friday, nearly 10 months after she went on trial.
Labour activist Wang Jianbing, who stood trial with Ms Haung, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
Ms Huang, 36, had been one of the most prominent voices in China’s # MeToo space, reporting ground breaking stories about sexual abuse victims.
She had also spoken out about the misogyny and sexism she faced in Chinese newsrooms.
Chinese authorities have not made it clear how the two stood accused of subversion. The trial was a closed-door hearing.
#MeToo activism has empowered survivors of sexual violence around the world, but in this case, Chinese authorities have sought to do the exact opposite by stamping it out.
It is unclear if the time already served by the pair will go towards reducing their sentence.
Public reaction to Ms Haung’s trial has previously been mixed-with some online decrying the case while others critical of the feminist movement welcomed it.
Many advocates for gender rights and social causes in China choose to remain anonymous online.
Often they have been accused of being agents of hostile western forces by state media an nationalist on the internet.
Source: BBC
