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

China will prosecute a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer, Zhou Shifeng,&nbsp;on charges of subverting state power after months of secret detention, prosecutors said on Friday, the latest move by authorities to crack down on dissent. 
 
China consistently rejects any criticism of its human rights record, saying it adheres to the rule of law, that all are equal under the law and that those who break the law can expect to be punished.&nbsp;President Xi Jinping&#39;s administration has tightened control over almost every aspect of civil society since 2012, citing the need to buttress national security and stability. 
 
 
Three other activists to be prosecuted on similar charges&nbsp; 
 
Shifeng, the director of Beijing Fengrui law firm, will be prosecuted on charges of subverting state power, the prosecutor in the northern city of Tianjin said in a brief statement on its official microblog, without giving details. 
 
Pertinently, state media has accused the firm&nbsp;and its associates of orchestrating protests outside courts and politicising ordinary legal cases in order to attract international attention.&nbsp;Dozens of lawyers and activists associated with the firm have been swept up in the crackdown and held since last July, triggering concern in Western capitals. 
 
The firm has represented several high-profile clients, including the ethnic Uighur dissident, Ilham Tohti. 
 
An official reached by telephone at the prosecutors&#39; office declined further comment. It was not clear who Zhous own lawyer currently is.&nbsp; 
 
Shang Baojun, another well-known rights lawyer, told Reuters that Zhous previous legal team had all been replaced by government-appointed lawyers. &quot;To be honest, we don&#39;t know anything more about his case than you do,&quot; Shang said, adding that a court date could still be two months off, according to Chinese law. 
 
The prosecutor said in the same statement that three other rights activists - Hu Shigen, Zhai Yanmin and Gou Hongguo - would also be prosecuted on the same charges. 
 
It was also not possible to immediately locate lawyers for them for comment. 
 
In severe cases, the charges can result in life sentences. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

State media has accused lawyer's firm, its associates of orchestrating protests outside courts and politicising ordinary legal cases

China will prosecute a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer, Zhou Shifeng, on charges of subverting state power after months of secret detention, prosecutors said on Friday, the latest move by authorities to crack down on dissent. China consistently rejects any criticism of its human rights record, saying it adheres to the rule of law, that all are equal under the law and that those who break the law can expect to be punished. President Xi Jinping's administration has tightened control over almost every aspect of civil society since 2012, citing the need to buttress national security and stability. Three other activists to be prosecuted on similar charges Shifeng, the director of Beijing Fengrui law firm, will be prosecuted on charges of subverting state power, the prosecutor in the northern city of Tianjin said in a brief statement on its official microblog, without giving details. Pertinently, state media has accused the firm and its associates of orchestrating protests outside courts and politicising ordinary legal cases in order to attract international attention. Dozens of lawyers and activists associated with the firm have been swept up in the crackdown and held since last July, triggering concern in Western capitals. The firm has represented several high-profile clients, including the ethnic Uighur dissident, Ilham Tohti. An official reached by telephone at the prosecutors' office declined further comment. It was not clear who Zhous own lawyer currently is. Shang Baojun, another well-known rights lawyer, told Reuters that Zhous previous legal team had all been replaced by government-appointed lawyers. "To be honest, we don't know anything more about his case than you do," Shang said, adding that a court date could still be two months off, according to Chinese law. The prosecutor said in the same statement that three other rights activists - Hu Shigen, Zhai Yanmin and Gou Hongguo - would also be prosecuted on the same charges. It was also not possible to immediately locate lawyers for them for comment. In severe cases, the charges can result in life sentences. (Reuters)

After months of secret detention, China to prosecute prominent rights lawyer for subversion

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

After months of secret detention, China to prosecute prominent rights lawyer for subversion