Wife Accepts Jailed Lawyer's Rights Award

The French and German ambassadors to Beijing have granted a human rights award to a detained Chinese lawyer, with his wife picking up the prize on his behalf.

Yu Wensheng – best known for suing the Beijing government over the city's once chronic pollution – was detained last January and charged with "inciting subversion of state power".

Prior to his arrest, Yu had circulated an open letter calling for five reforms to China's constitution, including the institution of multi-candidate presidential elections.

His wife, Xu Yan, received the award at an event organised by the German embassy in Beijing on Monday.

The prominent attorney was among 15 winners of the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law for 2018, announced in November.

"He [Yu] has lost his freedom for a year and not allowed to meet with a defence lawyer," Xu said at the event attended by the German and French ambassadors to China, according to a transcript she posted on her WeChat social media account.

"His case has been postponed three times, and referred back to the police for further investigations twice," Xu said, adding that Yu's case had been referred again for "for review and prosecution" in December.

"I learned about this situation when I went to the Xuzhou City Procuratorate on December 24. I didn't receive any news before that," she said.

"No matter how difficult it is, I will continue to defend the rights of Yu Wensheng, because I believe Yu Wensheng," Xu said. (AFP)