A court in northwest China has imposed stiff sentences on farmers who spent almost two years protesting and holding sit-ins in a vain effort to stop a government land seizure.
The seizure of farmland by local officials for economic development has become one of the most contentious issues in the Chinese countryside. Experts estimate that as many as 70 million farmers have been left without land. Tens of thousands of farmers have petitioned for help in Beijing, and top leaders have promised to protect farmers' rights.
Despite such promises, the stiff sentences handed down against protesters from the village of Sanchawan in northern Shaanxi Province illustrated the risks facing farmers who protest the seizures
Friday, January 21
Broken promises
A Chinese Court Sentences Farmers Who Protested a Land Seizure By JIM YARDLEY:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment