Ex-Chinese political prisoner Zhu Yufu sentenced to 2 years after police beating

A veteran Chinese democracy activist was sentenced to two years in prison following an altercation with police in which both he and his son were beaten, the man's lawyer said Friday.

Zhu Yufu, 54, was sentenced Tuesday by the Shangcheng district court in the eastern city of Hangzhou on charges of attacking police and interfering in public duties, said Mo Shaoping.

Zhu's son, Zhu Ang, was given a suspended one-year sentence on the same charges, Mo said.

"The sentence is completely unfair," Mo, who frequently represents political dissidents, said in a telephone interview. He said he would appeal.

Also Friday, a human rights monitoring group reported the death of Shanghai housing rights activist Chen Xiaoming, who had been sentenced in January to two years in prison on the charge of disrupting a court session.

Chen died July 1 in Shanghai, hours after his family obtained an emergency medical parole and had him transferred to a hospital, New York-based Human Rights in China said. The group said Chen had been denied medicine and medical care for a chronic illness while in prison. Police beatings also aggravated his condition, which the group did not identify.

Large-scale urban redevelopment in China's business hub has often led to violent evictions by government-backed developers. Activists have sought to complain by filing petition, leading in some cases to retaliation from local officials.

Zhu and his son were arrested on May 18, a month after police stopped them outside their apartment, demanding to know the whereabouts of another activist they suspected was staying at Zhu's home, according to Mo and the overseas-based China Human Rights Defenders, a network of activists and rights monitoring groups.

As Zhu Yufu attempted to reach the other man by cell phone, a struggle broke out between Zhu Ang and police, during which Zhu Ang knocked out a policeman's tooth, they said. Police then struck Zhu Ang in the head, prompting Zhu Yufu to shove the office away from his son. Security camera footage of the incident was played in court, according to Mo and the groups.

"He was beaten for being uncooperative. Zhu Yufu was trying to protect his son," Mo said.