We condemn the reported sentencing of human rights activist and lawyer Guo Feixiong, also known as Yang Maodong. The PRC government sentenced Mr. Guo to eight years of imprisonment for his peaceful advocacy work on behalf of the people of the PRC. Our diplomats were blocked from attending his trial in Guangzhou on May 11. We urge the PRC to live up to its international commitments, give its citizens due process, respect their human rights and fundamental freedoms including freedom of speech, and end the use of arbitrary detentions and exit bans. We continue our calls on the PRC to immediately release Guo and allow him to travel to the United States to reunite with his family.
Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs