The former chairman of a state-owned real estate company who publicly criticised Chinese President Xi Jinping's handling of the coronavirus pandemic has been sentenced to 18 years in prison on corruption charges.
In a commentary that circulated on social media, Ren criticised a February 23 video conference with 170,000 officials held early in the pandemic at which Mr Xi announced orders for responding to the disease. Ren didn't mention Mr Xi's name but said, "standing there was not an emperor showing off his new clothes but a clown who had stripped off his clothes and insisted on being an emperor".
"People did not see any criticism at the conference. It didn't investigate and disclose the truth," Ren wrote, according to a copy published by China Digital Times, a website in California.
Really in China never have the human rights and freedoms to write, to say. So that don't believe what the communist party said, look carefully what they did. Australia must learn a lesson by heart.
Beware Victorians, this is an example of how your freedoms will be eroded once an authoritarian government gets the control they seek. Andrews has already appointed his pandemic goon squad with the power to arrest even without a crime having been committed-Orwell’s 1984 lifestyle
Typical despotic practice - just trump up specious charges, 'prosecute', and send your critical opponents to jail for a life term.
I can think of other words for him
In the west, he would be dismissed with a 7/8 figure bonus and would go work as an advisor for government or board member.
I think this time China has taken bite more than it can chew
🖤👍🌏
Just like Victoria
misleading title👎
This guy is luck, you know, Jeffrey Epstein was already dead. BTW, this guy put into jail for stealing taxpayer's money.
That’s crazy
He's right. The CCP can't handle any criticism. Xi Jinping is a dictator.
what part of melbourne? auspol DictatorDan
In China you are free until you criticize the CCP and you are finished FreedomOfSpeech
Xi Jinping and his fragile ego destroys another life and his family. Still, in Victoria he would have been in prison after his first dissenting thought.
😲😔
Seems Poo Bear doesn’t like the truth. We all know the CCP screwed up and as a result the whole world is in the midst of this horrible pandemic.
BHCWB A China é inimiga da humanidade... Se perseguem e matam seus naturais, não nos matariam para tomar nossos países?
So this guy criticised Xu & the CCP and is gaoled. DrewPavlou criticised the UQ_News UQAmbassadors and the CCP influence is punished. Similarities
China should be forced back to the grass age, not even able to make stone tools.
ABC please don't spread fake news again about China. He is not a Tycoon. He is a retired CCP official and close ally of Xi's right hand man the Vice President Wang Qi Shan.
Love to see the ABC come out batting in favour of corruption 🤗
Poor bugger
Comming to Victorians
ABC please do some basic investigation and stop producing shallow fake news. I don't expect high level journalism from you, but you should show some respect for your readers by maintaining basic professionalism. Dont treat common people like idiots.
Not because he called xi a clown
Mr. Ren's 'outspoken' not because he is brave, but because he represents a powerful red-princelings group. This group was untouchable before Xi Jinping taking reign. Today they are still powerful enough to resist Xi's power at some degree. Actually he gets a very lenient sentence
In Victoria?
Mr. Ren represent an elites group consists of red-princelings and tycoons who want to secure and legalize their huge fortunes permanently in the name of democratic reform. And control the government behind scenes like tycoons and elites in the west do.
Authoritarian or not China's handling of CoVid-19 produced about the lowest deaths/M in the World! What did Xi do wrong? Welding up folks in their flats?
Typical of CCP. They can’t handle any sort of criticism. This proves that expression of interest (a plank of democracy) is a foreign concept in China and other countries around the world that have totalitarian governments.
yes getting like that in Australia also....well Victoria anyway
Winnie the Pooh is Xi Jinping Because I can ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
Mr. Ren himself was close associate with current CCP top leader Wang Qishan, who is also son-in-law of late Yao Yilin, deputy premier in late 1980s. It is nothing about pro democracy or anti-authorism, but about their vested interests threatened by Xi's reform.
Fake news. He was charged for receiving about $300k bribe and stealing more than $10 million public funds. He was head of a state company and one of the ' red princelings.' His father was a vice minister and close associates of CCP top leader Chen Yun and Yao Yilin.
This proves China is still in the stone age.
Sticks and stones
No Karens in China?
Trump must be so jealous, if he could do that he could clear his calendar.
'Outspoken real estate tycoon known as ‘Big Cannon Ren’ embezzled US$7.3 million, court finds'
'but I said Crown not Clown'
Not a surprise
Oh FFS don’t give DictatorDan ideas 🤫
Shows that CCP is a bully. The soon we remove ourselves from their buying our products the better
Why is the world allowing this Chinese State corruption to continue. Ban all travellers from China. No Sporting team allowed to compete internationally. Trade sanctions.This has to stop. This is not Democracy. This is Suppression. BanChina China XiJinpingiscorrupt XiJinping
Don’t tell Chairman Dan. He might get ideas
Imagine how many years he would've got if he called him Winnie the Pooh!
WTF!!!!
He was found of 'guilty of corruption, bribery and embezzlement of public funds',- not COVID-19.
If only we could offer a prisoner exchange, maybe TimSmithMP ?
Should everyone who called Xi a clown be jailed they would be full to overflowing!
China's suppression of human rights mirrors that of Russia: making an example of wealthy individuals who challenge their authority in order to continue the subjugation of wider population
Take note Victorians this treatment could be just around the corner waiting for you.
Not a bright thing to say in China.
Pull the other one