BEIJING – Liu Futang, a retired Chinese forestry official who became an environmental activist campaigning against deforestation and overdevelopment on Hainan Island, was put on trial this week for illegally publishing and distributing books on environmental protection, his friends and associates said.
Liu, 65 and in poor health, faces as much as 5 years in prison (under the Chinese legal system, defendants are considered guilty when brought to trial; there is no presumption of innocence). Family members said they are petitioning the court to free him on medical grounds. No date has been set for his sentencing.
Liu came from Northeastern China more than two decades ago to work in the provincial forestry ministry in Hainan, at China’s southern tip. He became chief of the province’s Forest Fire Prevention Bureau and then stayed on trying to protect the island’s natural ecosystem — especially its coastal forests, which were being uprooted to make way for luxury seaside hotels, apartments and golf courses as part of the Chinese government’s quest to turn Hainan into an international tourism destination dubbed the “Hawaii of the East.”
“Hainan is a real-life example of that film ‘Avatar,’ ” Liu said in a 2010 interview with The Washington Post about the deforestation that was underway. “Except in ‘Avatar,’ they could organize together to fight back.”
On Hainan, Liu said, “I don＇t have much hope — nothing can stop this change.”
Liu started a microblog and became a “citizen journalist.” His efforts received a prize last April from the China Environmental Press Awards, co-sponsored by the British newspaper The Guardian, the nonprofit group chinadialogue and the online media company Sina.
Liu’s son, Liu Yin, and others believe Liu’s latest book, “The Tears of Hainan II,” upset some powerful vested interests who are trying to build a coal-fired power plant in Yinggehai, over the objection of local residents.
Liu was arrested in July, while in the hospital being treated for high blood pressure and diabetes. He was officially charged Sept. 19 with running an illegal business, namely printing his environmental books without a license.
He spent about $30,000 of his own retirement savings to publish the three books and gave away most of the copies for free.
Liu’s three-hour trial was held Thursday in Haikou, the capital of Hainan. About 20 activists and Internet activists from Hainan and other parts of China showed up outside the People’s Court, some holding a banner that said “Protect Liu Futang,” friends and supporters said.
Friends and relatives who saw Liu in court Thursday said he appeared sick and frail.
“His cheeks were sunken, and he could barely stand,” Liu Yin said. “He was weak and didn’t have any strength, and he couldn’t hear clearly due to tinnitus,” a condition Liu suffers from that involves ringing in the ears.
The younger Liu said his father became so depressed while awaiting trial that he attempted suicide; family members still worry about his mood.
Chinese Internet activists, or Netizens, have begun using Twitter-like microblogs to demand justice for Liu. One activist said he started a microblog account called “Protect Liu Futang,” and immediately got 700 followers.
Wang Juan in Shanghai contributed to this report. |
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