{"id":195136,"date":"2016-07-07T18:26:40","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T01:26:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=195136"},"modified":"2016-07-08T19:30:50","modified_gmt":"2016-07-09T02:30:50","slug":"zhao-wei-released-year-detention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2016\/07\/zhao-wei-released-year-detention\/","title":{"rendered":"Zhao Wei Released, Many Lawyers Still in Detention"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nearly exactly one year after she was detained<\/a> in the “Black Friday” roundup of human rights lawyers and activists<\/a>, 24-year-old legal assistant Zhao Wei has reportedly been released on bail<\/strong><\/a>. Zhao was charged in January with “subversion of state power”<\/a>\u2014an exceptionally harsh charge that could deliver a sentence of life in prison. At The Guardian, Tom Phillips reports, noting continued outrage from her supporters:<\/p>\n

Police in the city of Tianjin, where Zhao was being held, announced her release on bail on Thursday morning, on the eve of the crackdown\u2019s one-year anniversary<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A post on the police force\u2019s official Weibo account said Zhao was being bailed as a result of her \u201ccandid confession\u201d to unspecified crimes and her \u201cgood attitude\u201d.<\/p>\n

[…] Like most of the more than 20 lawyers and activists still in custody<\/a>, Zhao was being held on charges of political subversion.<\/p>\n

The idealistic young legal assistant\u2019s detention sparked outrage in and outside China<\/a>, and Zhao Wei\u2019s supporters greeted the announcement of her release with contempt. \u201cWhat crime did she commit?\u201d read one angry comment under the police\u2019s social media post. \u201cHistory will judge you,\u201d said another. [Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Despite her release on bail, Zhao still may face subversion charges. Prior to her detention, Zhao had worked as a paralegal for rights lawyer Li Heping, who was also detained in last year’s roundup and remains in detention<\/a> along with at least 20 others (and as many as 33, by some counts<\/a>). The AFP reports on harassment that the wives of many of the still imprisoned rights lawyers are facing as they continue to campaign for the release<\/strong><\/a> of their loved ones:<\/p>\n

Monitored, scared and made to feel like criminals, the women\u2019s only offence is to be married to lawyers and activists detained by China\u2019s Communist authorities. But a year after their husbands disappeared, they are defiant.<\/p>\n

[…] This week five of them donned dresses emblazoned with their husbands\u2019 names and marched to a national prosecutors\u2019 office in Beijing , surrounded by dozens of police.<\/p>\n

They clutched handwritten letters of complaint, accusing authorities in Tianjin, where all but one of the men are held , of a litany of procedural errors.<\/p>\n

The women emerged disappointed, still holding their letters, after officials refused to even read them.<\/p>\n

The authorities \u201climit our freedom by stalking us\u201d, said Wang Qiaoling, whose husband Li Heping is among those held. \u201cWe have to creep around like criminals.\u201d [Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Wives of human rights lawyers detained a year ago complain to prosecutors over ban on access to their husbands. pic.twitter.com\/XTbwW8Nxed<\/a><\/p>\n

— Tom Hancock? (@hancocktom) July 4, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n