The activist was found guilty of “gathering a crowd to disturb public order,” a ruling that has gained international attention and called into question the political motives of Chinese authorities.
The New Citizens Movement, which Xu helped organize, has pressed for educational reform to include the rural populace and asks officials to disclose their assets to the public. The group was formed in 2012 and has gathered roughly 5,000 supporters, engaging in small rallies.
Legal experts and human rights activists say Xu was prosecuted without proper legal procedure or the right to defend himself. His lawyers were not allowed to call defense witnesses or to cross-examine prosecution witnesses, whose testimony was submitted only in writing, reports the New York Times.
The judge allowed Xu to read a defense statement, but cut him off before he could finish, saying that it was “irrelevant”, writes the New York Times.
During his speech Xu said, “The source of a series of major social problems lies in how a privileged interest bloc has monopolized the entire political power of the state and the arteries of the economy. Without democratic elections, without freedom of the press, without an independent judiciary, absolute power cannot be made into a clean government.”
There are six other activists on trial, and Xu’s lawyer Zhang Qingfang told Reuters he will appeal Xu’s sentence so it will not be cited as precedent in their cases.
In a telephone interview, Zhang told Reuters, "If we don't appeal, the verdict in these cases will not be changed, they'll be predetermined, so we have to fight for a space for them, we have to fight for a chance."
