BEIJING (Reuters) – A Taiwan-based publisher detained by Chinese authorities since 2023 was convicted in February of “inciting secession” in China, Beijing said on Tuesday, prompting complaints from Taiwanese authorities that the trial had been held in secret.
A Shanghai court handed Li Yanhe a conviction on February 17 in a “public sentencing”, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement to Reuters, without specifying the sentence.
“The court heard the case strictly in accordance with the law, fully guaranteed the various litigation rights of Li Yanhe and his advocate according to law,” the statement said.
The sentencing came as Beijing commemorates the 20th anniversary of its anti-secession law, which gives it the legal authority to punish individuals pursuing “Taiwan independence” activities.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite the objection of the government in Taipei, and has ramped up its military pressure against the island in recent years.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which said it was apprised of the case but didn’t disclose details because of the family’s wishes, rejected Beijing’s claim that Li’s sentencing was public.
The trial was kept a “complete secret”, the council said in a statement, adding that Beijing’s claim of guaranteeing Li’s rights were “complete lies”.
Neither Taiwan nor China has said where Li has citizenship.
Li, also known by the pen name Fu Cha, worked as the editor-in-chief of Taiwan-based Gusa Publishing.
“All colleagues at Gusa Publishing feel angry and uneasy,” the publisher said in a statement on Facebook on Tuesday.
“We can’t see the indictment, don’t know what exactly Fu Cha was convicted for doing, don’t know the sentence, and are even more uncertain about whether he can return home after serving his sentence,” the statement said.
In April 2023, Beijing confirmed that Li had been detained “on suspicion of engaging in activities endangering national security” after his disappearance on a trip to Shanghai sparked media speculation.
“Li Yanhe made outstanding contributions to Taiwan’s cultural publishing industry”, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said.
“The fundamental purpose of the Communist Party’s detention of Li Yanhe is to clamp down on Taiwan’s publishing, academic and cultural circles, and to create a chilling effect.”
(Reporting by Ryan Woo and Xiuhao Chen; Additional reporting by Lee Yi-Mou in Taipei. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
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