Court rejects village official's labor camp appeal

CHONGQING - A court in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Friday rejected a village official's appeal against his two-year sentence to a re-education through labor camp.

The Higher People's Court of Chongqing upheld the previous verdict on Ren Jianyu, an official in Pengshui County, who lodged an appeal last month after the Chongqing No. 3 Intermediate People's Court dismissed the lawsuit Ren's father filed on his son's behalf.

Ren, 25, was arrested on August 17, 2011 after he forwarded and commented on more than 100 pieces of "negative information." Without due process, he was sentenced to two years in a labor camp for "incitement to subvert state power" the following month.

On August 15 this year, Ren's father filed a lawsuit on his son's behalf, which called for Ren's release.

On November 19, the Chongqing municipal re-education through labor committee freed Ren after reviewing the case, saying the punishment was "improper."

On November 20, the Chongqing No. 3 Intermediate People's Court rejected the father's lawsuit, saying "the appeal should have come within three months after the re-education term was issued on September 24, 2011."

Ren filed an appeal with the higher court on November 28.

The higher court has upheld the previous verdict in its ruling, saying Ren was able, but failed to file a lawsuit within three months upon receiving the re-education term.