NY Times: “A Chinese appeals court on Friday threw out a fraud conviction against a human rights activist who has fought on behalf of people evicted from their homes, but it upheld a separate conviction against her for causing a disturbance, her lawyers said.
A lower court had ruled that the activist, Ni Yulan, and her husband, Dong Jiqin, acted in an unruly way when they failed to pay for their stay at a hotel — where they had been detained by the police — and mistreated staff members. It also ruled that Ms. Ni had received money through deceit.
One of her lawyers, Cheng Hai, said the higher court, the Beijing First Intermediate Court, had rescinded the fraud conviction and reduced Ms. Ni’s prison sentence by two months to two years and six months after the person who gave Ms. Ni the money told the court it was a donation.
“We consider it a success,” said Dong Qianyong, another lawyer for Ms. Ni.
Public disturbance convictions against the couple remain, and Dong Jiqin’s two-year sentence handed down by the lower court stands, Mr. Cheng said.
Mr. Cheng said he planned to appeal again for Ms. Ni’s release.”
via China Court Dismisses Ni Yulan’s Fraud Conviction – NYTimes.com.
Yet another indication that China is softening its approach towards dissidents.
See also: https://chindia-alert.org/2012/05/20/china-dissident-chen-guangcheng-arrives-in-the-us/
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 