The United States and Germany called on China to immediately release a prominent human rights activist who was jailed for eight years on Tuesday for subversion, the harshest sentence passed in a recent crackdown on activism.

Wu Gan, a blogger better known by his online name &quot;Super Vulgar Butcher&quot;, regularly championed sensitive cases of government abuses of power, both online and in street protests. He was detained in May 2015 and charged with subversion.

In a separate case, also on Tuesday, rights lawyer Xie Yang avoided criminal punishment despite being found guilty of inciting subversion, because he admitted his crimes.

&quot;We call on the Chinese authorities to release Wu immediately,&quot; the US&nbsp;and Germany embassies in China said in a joint statement.

&quot;As Xie has been exempted from punishment, we urge China to allow Xie to resume his professional activities without preconditions and be free of any restrictions.&quot;

China&#39;s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Beijing frequently denounces foreign concern about rights cases as an interference in China&#39;s internal affairs and says China is a country with rule of law.

Wu&#39;s sentence was the most severe in what rights groups have called an unprecedented attack on China&#39;s rights activists and lawyers, known as the 709 crackdown, which began in full force on July 9, 2015.

The hardline approach has shown no sign of softening as Chinese President Xi Jinping enters his second five-year term in office. 
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The United States and Germany called on China to immediately release a prominent human rights activist who was jailed for eight years on Tuesday for subversion, the harshest sentence passed in a recent crackdown on activism

The United States and Germany called on China to immediately release a prominent human rights activist who was jailed for eight years on Tuesday for subversion, the harshest sentence passed in a recent crackdown on activism. Wu Gan, a blogger better known by his online name "Super Vulgar Butcher", regularly championed sensitive cases of government abuses of power, both online and in street protests. He was detained in May 2015 and charged with subversion. In a separate case, also on Tuesday, rights lawyer Xie Yang avoided criminal punishment despite being found guilty of inciting subversion, because he admitted his crimes. "We call on the Chinese authorities to release Wu immediately," the US and Germany embassies in China said in a joint statement. "As Xie has been exempted from punishment, we urge China to allow Xie to resume his professional activities without preconditions and be free of any restrictions." China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Beijing frequently denounces foreign concern about rights cases as an interference in China's internal affairs and says China is a country with rule of law. Wu's sentence was the most severe in what rights groups have called an unprecedented attack on China's rights activists and lawyers, known as the 709 crackdown, which began in full force on July 9, 2015. The hardline approach has shown no sign of softening as Chinese President Xi Jinping enters his second five-year term in office.

US, Germany urge China to release jailed activist

The United Nations has demanded that China immediatly release prominant human rights activists from its custody and pay them compensation as per a document which is yet to be made public.

According to a report in The Guardian, which has accessed the unreleased document, Christian church leader Hu Shigen and lawyers Zhou Shifeng and Xie Yang were detained and tried as part of an unprecedented nationwide crackdown on human rights attorneys and activists that began in July 2015. The operation saw nearly 250 people detained and questioned by police. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The report, which is yet to be released according to The Guardian, from the UN&rsquo;s human rights council says the trio had their rights violated and calls China&rsquo;s laws incompatible with international norms.

Hu was jailed for seven-and-a-half years while Zhou was sentenced to seven years on subversion charges, while Xie is awaiting a verdict.

Asking China to act within six months, the report added &ldquo;The appropriate remedy would be to release Hu Shigen, Zhou Shifeng and Xie Yang immediately, and accord them an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations.&rdquo;&nbsp;

The UN&rsquo;s working group on arbitrary detention, which reviewed the case, rejected Chinese government claims the three men voluntarily confessed to their crimes at their trials and said their detentions were &ldquo;made in total or partial non-observance of the international norms relating to the right to a fair trial,&rdquo; according to the&nbsp;report.

The group&nbsp;comprises&nbsp;a panel of five experts that falls under the UN&rsquo;s human rights council, of which China is a member. While its judgements are not legally binding, it investigates claims of rights violations and suggests remedies.&nbsp;

Thee report, which is yet to be released, from the UN?s human rights council says the trio had their rights violated and calls China?s laws incompatible with international norms.

The United Nations has demanded that China immediatly release prominant human rights activists from its custody and pay them compensation as per a document which is yet to be made public. According to a report in The Guardian, which has accessed the unreleased document, Christian church leader Hu Shigen and lawyers Zhou Shifeng and Xie Yang were detained and tried as part of an unprecedented nationwide crackdown on human rights attorneys and activists that began in July 2015. The operation saw nearly 250 people detained and questioned by police. The report, which is yet to be released according to The Guardian, from the UN’s human rights council says the trio had their rights violated and calls China’s laws incompatible with international norms. Hu was jailed for seven-and-a-half years while Zhou was sentenced to seven years on subversion charges, while Xie is awaiting a verdict. Asking China to act within six months, the report added “The appropriate remedy would be to release Hu Shigen, Zhou Shifeng and Xie Yang immediately, and accord them an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations.” The UN’s working group on arbitrary detention, which reviewed the case, rejected Chinese government claims the three men voluntarily confessed to their crimes at their trials and said their detentions were “made in total or partial non-observance of the international norms relating to the right to a fair trial,” according to the report. The group comprises a panel of five experts that falls under the UN’s human rights council, of which China is a member. While its judgements are not legally binding, it investigates claims of rights violations and suggests remedies.

Release human rights activists, pay them compensation: UN to China

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US, Germany urge China to release jailed activist

Release human rights activists, pay them compensation: UN to China