Geng Xiaonan and his wife were charged with “illegal business operation” and the trial started on the 9th

Beijing publisher Geng Xiaonan and her husband Qin Zhen, who is suspected to have been retaliated against by authorities for rescuing former Tsinghua University professor Xu Zhangrun, have been formally charged with “illegal business operation” and will be heard in Beijing’s Haidian District Court on Feb. 9. Recently, it was reported that the authorities pressured Geng Xiaonan to dismiss one of her lawyers, Shang Baojun, as a condition for a lighter punishment.

According to Radio Television Hong Kong and Rights Defense Network, the Beijing Municipal Haidian District Public Security Bureau completed its investigation into Geng Xiaonan’s case in the middle of last month and sent it to the Haidian District Prosecutor’s Office for review and prosecution, and Geng Xiaonan’s lawyer received a notice of prosecution from the authorities on the 29th. Concerns have been raised that the authorities have chosen to hold the trial before New Year’s Eve for ulterior motives, as they are suspected of using the holiday to downplay public attention.

Gao Yu, an independent Chinese media personality, tweeted, “Officially, Liu Xiaobo’s trial started on Christmas Eve and the verdict was handed down on Christmas Day; Zhang Zhan’s trial started between Christmas and New Year’s Day and the verdict was handed down in court; Xiaonan’s trial started just one day before New Year’s Eve. Chinese courts are getting closer and closer to the holidays.”

A friend of Geng Xiao’s told the station as much: “Choosing that point in Time to hold court (before New Year’s Eve), it’s hard to even get a few people to show solidarity.” The friend said that the authorities have approached a number of people who are standing in solidarity with Geng Xiaonan and asked them to keep quiet, so they are not willing to be named.

Geng Xiaonan was arrested last July on suspicion of “illegal business operation” after he ran to save Xu Zhangrun, a former professor at Tsinghua University who had repeatedly spoken out against Xi Jinping, and was believed to have suffered political retribution for rescuing Xu.

“The case of Geng Xiaonan involves Xu (Zhangrun), and I dare not be optimistic. (Prosecution of Geng Xiaonan is) to kill the chicken to make an example of the monkey, can not move the big move the edge of the people, we really can not do anything. The people in the know can not send out a voice, there are also afraid to send, occasionally Twitter will be a little news.” The friend said.

Recently, Geng Xiaonan rumors due to pressure from the authorities and forced to dismiss one of the lawyers representing Shang Baojun, as a condition for a lighter punishment. Shang Baojun, who had been granted a visitation permit, was denied a visit to the detention center on Jan. 13.

Shang Baojun, a well-known human rights lawyer who has represented Liu Xiaobo and Gao Yu, told our Cantonese team that Geng Xiaonan is afraid of making such a choice under the pressure of reality, pointing out that this is the authorities’ usual modus operandi for political retaliation cases, and hoping that Geng Xiaonan’s compromise will lead to the official fulfillment of her promise.

“The pressure on her (Geng Xiaonan) is very high, so she doesn’t have much choice. Of course, if the public security is true to its word, we hope she can hurry up and get out, for fear of being cheated by them.” Shang Baojun had told the station’s Cantonese team.

Another friend of Geng Xiaonan, Guo Yuhua, a professor at the Department of Sociology at Tsinghua University, also expressed her anxiety about the trial of Geng Xiaonan’s case to this station. She pointed out that Geng Xiaonan was politically persecuted for his words, so she is not optimistic about the possible outcome of the case.

“Right now we don’t have much information, and we can’t be sure or expect (the outcome). They (the authorities) are playing with the law and you don’t know what they will do or how they will do it.” She said.

Guo Yuhua has told the station how she met Geng Xiaonan and expressed admiration for her cultural sophistication and sense of justice. Geng Xiaonan has also spoken out in solidarity with many political prisoners of conscience, including Chen Qiushi and Xu Zhiyong, among others. After her detention, a number of scholars, including Xu Zhanyun and Peking University law professor He Weifang, signed a petition in solidarity. The friend mentioned earlier said that after the appeal letter was sent, several of the initiators were “concerned” by the authorities.