A former academic at the Beijing Foreign Languages Institute, Hu Shigen (also known as Hu Shenglun) was a founder member of both the Free Labour Union of China (FLUC) and the China Liberal Democratic Party (CLDP) in 1991 and 1992 respectively. Arrested in May 1992 along with fifteen other unofficial trade union and party activists from the two groups, he was charged on twin counts of “organising and leading a counterrevolutionary group” and “engaging in counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement.” After two years of detention, Hu Shigen and the other members of the “Beijing Sixteen” were brought to trial in Beijing. Hu received the heaviest sentence of all – 20 years’ imprisonment – and he is not due to be released until May 2012. He is serving his sentence in Beijing No.2 Prison.
June 2005
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