Imprisoned Chinese rights lawyer in poor health: Wife
January 19, 2021, 10:47 am

Imprisoned Chinese rights lawyer in poor health: Wife

In this Thursday, July 23, 2015 photo, Yu Wensheng holds up his hands to show how death row prisoners are handcuffed for 24 hours a day during an interview at his office in Beijing. (AP)

A Chinese lawyer nominated for a top human rights award is in poor health after years in prison, his wife told AFP Tuesday.

Yu Wensheng was detained in Beijing in January 2018 in front of his young son just hours after he wrote an open letter calling for constitutional reforms, including multi-candidate elections.

He was tried in secret and sentenced to four years in prison last June for “inciting subversion of state power”.

“His physical state is very poor. His right hand is deformed and trembles so much that he cannot write,” his wife Xu Yan told AFP.

Yu was nominated Monday for the Martin Ennals Award, which organizers hope will shine a light on abuses in authoritarian states.

Xu Yan, wife of human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng, holding a piece of paper that reads 'I want to request a meeting with Judge Liu Mingwei' and a picture of her husband outside the Xuzhou Intermediate People’s Court in Xuzhou on October 31, 2019. (AFP)

Xu said her husband’s nomination “not only supports and honors (him), but is also an encouragement and affirmation to other human rights lawyers and defenders”.

China has seen a dramatic crackdown on civil liberties and freedoms since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012, with hundreds of human rights lawyers and activists detained in recent years.

Yu was known for taking on a number of high-profile rights cases, including the defense of fellow lawyer Wang Quanzhang, who was among more than 300 legal professionals and activists arrested in a July 2015 crackdown.

He also became well known for suing the Beijing government for the city’s chronic air pollution.

Yu’s defense lawyer Lu Siwei had his legal license revoked by authorities last week after handling several sensitive human rights cases.

Yu Wensheng became well-known for suing the Beijing (pictured) government over the city's chronic air pollution. (File photo: AFP)

Lu had planned to file another appeal against Yu’s sentence, Xu said, after his first appeal was rejected earlier this month.

Last week, she was allowed to have a 25-minute video call with her husband, who is being held in a detention center in the eastern province of Jiangsu.

It was their first such meeting in three years, she said.

Four of Yu’s teeth were missing and he was unable to chew food properly, Xu said, and that there was no heating in the detention center.

“These are very basic human needs that are not fulfilled,” she said, adding that Yu occasionally glanced in another direction before replying.

Xu suggested that was because there were police in the room, outside her view.

Xu Yan, the wife of Chinese lawyer Yu Wensheng, talks on her cellphone in their apartment on the outskirts of Beijing on Friday, January 19, 2018, after her husband was taken into custody. (AP)

“There are probably a lot of things he cannot say right now, we will only know the full extent of what he experienced after he is released,” she said.

The Martin Ennals Award is decided by 10 leading rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. This year’s winner will be announced on February 11.

Beijing denied knowledge of either Yu or the Martin Ennals Award on Tuesday.

“There are indeed some people abroad who are always using human rights as a pretext to create a disturbance,” said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular briefing on Tuesday.

“I think this behavior has no meaning whatsoever.”

source: AFP

Image source: AP

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.