MACAU DAILY TIMES 澳門每日時報Chinese journalist who promoted #MeToo movement sentenced to five years in prison

Supporters say a Chinese journalist who championed women's rights amid the country's nascent #MeToo movement has been sentenced to five years in prison for inciting to overthrow state authority, nearly three years later his arrest and that of an activist.

The verdict released to The Associated Press said Huang Xueqin would also face a fine of 100,000 yuan ($14,000), underscoring the ruling Communist Party's intolerance of any activism beyond its control.

Huang's release date was set for September 18, 2026, which explains his earlier detention.

Co-defendant Wang Jianbing was sentenced to three years and six months on the same charge.

Wang is best known for his labor rights work, but he has also helped women report sexual harassment.

Huang and Wang's cases appear to have become closely intertwined as part of the latest sweeping crackdown on rights defenders, a trend that predates the #MeToo movement and includes earlier incidents such as the 2015 detentions of women distributing brochures against sexual harassment in public. transportation.

Working as a freelance journalist, Huang helped spark China's first #MeToo case in 2018 when she went public with sexual harassment allegations made by a graduate student against her Ph.D. supervisor at one of the most prestigious universities in China.

Friends say Huang and Wang disappeared on September 19, 2021, a day before Huang flew to the United Kingdom to begin a master's program in gender-based violence and conflict at the University of Sussex. They were tried in September 2023. MDT/AP

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