Workers' Liberty

7 years prison for being a trade unionist

Seven years -- that's the prison sentence imposed upon Yao Fuxin last month by a Chinese court. His colleague Xiao Yunliang didn't fare much better; he got four years in jail.

Their crime? They led peaceful worker demonstrations in Liaoyang City, in the northeast of China.

In China today, organizing workers, leading them in protests against outrageous conditions, is obviously illegal. Today, June 4th, the anniversary of the crushing of the Tiananmen Square protests, LabourStart and the China Labour Bulletin are launching an international campaign of protest against the sentencing of these two brave individuals. We urge all of you to take a moment and send off a message to China's President demanding that Yao Fuxin and Xiao Yunliang be set free:

http://www.labourstart.org