BEIJING – Eight construction workers in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, who protested over not having received their wages, have been sentenced to between six and eight months of prison in a trial that was conducted on the street.
The official Beijing News on its webpage Friday published photos of the accused, accompanied by armed policemen on the street during the trial on Wednesday in the province’s Langzhong city.
The workers were tried for having blocked, along with hundreds of others, entry and exit of tourists in the nearby Nan Jin Guan tourist locality in August 2015, to protest against non-payment of wages.
The official media reports that the workers were “instigated” by two of the sentenced workers, surnamed Zhang and Qi, to pressurize the authorities into paying their wages.
Following a scuffle with the police, who reached the spot to disperse the protests, several workers were detained, including the eight workers sentenced Wednesday for jeopardizing public affairs, according to The Beijing News.
Experts are of the opinion that trial at a public space is reminiscent of Maoist times and a step backward with regards to human rights in China.
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