Chinese farmer who praised lawyers sentenced to 18 years

In this photo released by the defendants legal team, a team of lawyers for defendants on trial that included prominent Chinese pig farmer Sun Dawu stand outside the courthouse in Gaobeidian, in Northern China's Hebei province on Friday, 16 July 2021. The prominent Chinese pig farmer who was detained after praising lawyers during a crackdown on legal activists by President Xi Jinping's government went on trial Thursday, July 15, 2021 on charges including fighting with police and organizing a protest, defense lawyers said. (Defendants legal team via AP)

In this April 2, 2010 photo provided by the Legal Team of Dawu Group, Sun Dawu stands in Baoding in northern China's Hebei Province. A prominent Chinese pig farmer who was detained after praising lawyers during a crackdown on legal activists by President Xi Jinping's government has been se,ntenced to 18 years in prison on charges of organizing an attack on officials and other offenses. (Legal Team of Dawu Group via AP)

In this May 5, 2012, photo provided by the Legal Team of Dawu Group, Sun Dawu stands at a construction site for Dawu Town in Baoding in northern China's Hebei Province. A prominent Chinese pig farmer who was detained after praising lawyers during a crackdown on legal activists by President Xi Jinping's government has been sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of organizing an attack on officials and other offenses. (Legal Team of Dawu Group via AP)

In this Oct. 5, 2020, photo provided by the Legal Team of Dawu Group, Sun Dawu stands at a whiteboard at a hospital in Baoding in northern China's Hebei Province. A prominent Chinese pig farmer who was detained after praising lawyers during a crackdown on legal activists by President Xi Jinping's government has been sentenced to 18 years in prison on charges of organizing an attack on officials and other offenses. The board reads "implement the concept of running the hospital, do a good job in team building, be a good doctor who is a good doctor, a responsible person." (Legal Team of Dawu Group via AP)

BEIJING (AP) — A prominent Chinese pig farmer who was detained after praising lawyers during a crackdown on legal activists by President Xi Jinping’s government was sentenced Thursday to 18 years in prison on charges of organizing an attack on officials and other offenses.

Sun Dawu, chairman of Dawu Agriculture Group, was among 20 defendants who stood trial in Gaobeidian, southwest of Beijing in Hebei province. They were detained after Dawu employees in August 2020 tried to stop a state-owned enterprise from demolishing a company building.

Sun also was fined 3.1 million yuan ($480,000), the People's Court of Gaobeidian said in a statement.

Sun was convicted of gathering people to attack state organs, obstructing public affairs, picking quarrels, sabotaging production, illegal mining, illegal occupation of farmland and illegally taking public deposits, the court said.

Other defendants received sentences ranging from one to 12 years, according to a statement from Dawu Group. It said the company was ordered to refund 1 billion yuan ($155 million) in investment that was raised improperly.

Sun became nationally known in 2003 when he was charged with illegal fundraising after soliciting investments for his business from friends and neighbors. The case prompted an outpouring of public support for Sun.

Since then, Sun has praised lawyers who help the public at a time when prominent legal figures have been imprisoned by Xi’s government. Sun’s lawyer in the 2003 case, Xu Zhiyong, disappeared in February 2020. Fellow activists say he was charged with treason.

Sun was accused of provoking quarrels, a charge used against labor and other activists, when he was detained in August 2020.

The trial officially was open to the public but only one spectator from the family of each defendant and 10 from the company were allowed due to coronavirus restrictions, defense lawyers said earlier.