Liu Xianbin
Detained Since: June 28, 2010.
Charges: Inciting subversion of state power.
Sentence: Ten years in prison with two years and four months' deprivation of political rights.
Biography: Liu Xianbin is a long-time political dissident, organizer of the China Democracy Party and member of an "illegal" Protestant house church. He is also a blogger using the pen name Wan Xianming. On June 28, 2010, approximately 14 National Security officers arrested Xianbin at his home for his support of Charter 08, an online petition which called for expanded liberties and universal suffrage, and for submitting articles to overseas websites and magazines. Xianbin's writings were critical of the Chinese Communist authorities on issues ranging from corruption, abuses of power, and human rights violations. While there, officers searched his home and confiscated two computer hard drives, two removable drives, his bank card, and records of payments received by Xianbin for articles published on pro-democracy websites hosted overseas.
Additionally during his detention, Xianbin was denied access to a lawyer for months. On March 25, 2011, Suining Intermediate People's Court brought Xianbin to trial for his actions. The proceeding lasted only two hours, and throughout the proceedings, Xianbin professed his innocence, but his claims landed on deaf ears; he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "inciting subversion of state power." The court also ruled that he would be denied his political rights for two years and four months after his release. Unfortunately, the Court, located in Sichuan Province, issued a seven-page decision the day of his trial, causing reason to believe that his sentence was pre-determined.
Liu Xianbin was RELEASED on June 27, 2020 after completing his 10 year sentence.