Lawyer Pu Zhiqiang gets suspended sentence

Beijing : In a surprise move, China on Tuesday released the country's most outspoken human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang from detention after he was given a suspended three-year jail sentence by a court here for "inciting ethnic hatred" and posting critical online comments against the ruling Communist Party.

Pu was found guilty by a Beijing court for "inciting ethnic hatred" and "picking quarrels" in social media posts besides posting online comments critical of Communist Party. Pu has been released from detention after receiving the suspended jail sentence, the BBC reported.

Earlier, a Beijing court handed down Pu a suspended three-year prison sentence for inciting ethnic hatred and disturbing public order. Pu was given a lighter punishment after a public trial as he confessed his crime honestly, pleaded guilty and repented his guilt, state-run Xinhua news agency reported, adding that Pu accepted the verdict and said he will not appeal.

The suspended sentence is a surprise as Pu could have faced a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. Amnesty International said the suspended prison sentence was "a deliberate attempt by the Chinese authorities to shackle a champion of freedom of expression".

Experts say the suspended sentence means Pu can avoid serving time in jail, but could be monitored during the suspension period. The guilty verdict means he can no longer practice law.

The court, after hearing out the defence and opinions from the prosecutor, determined Pu provoked ethnic discord and incited ethnic hatred through a multiple entries he posted on his social media accounts on Weibo.com from January 2012 to May last year.

Pu's lawyer Shang Baojun told South China Morning Post that his Advocate licence would be permanently revoked as lawyers who have been convicted are barred from practising by law.