At just after 9:00 am on 10 April 2012, human rights defender and disbarred lawyer Ms Ni Yulan was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison by Xicheng District People's Court in Beijing. She was convicted of 'creating a disturbance' and 'fraud'. Her husband, Mr Dong Jiqin, received a two-year sentence for 'creating a disturbance'. Ni Yulan is a veteran housing rights and legal activist who has provided free legal advice to hundreds of people in Beijing.

The charges against Ni Yulan and Dong Jiqin reportedly relate to their time spent living in a hotel in late 2010 and early 2011 after their own home was demolished. The couple were initially detained on 7 April 2011 and were tried on 29 December 2011. Prosecutors alleged that the couple prevented guests from registering at the hotel, destroyed a registration log book, insulted the staff and failed to pay hotel fees. Prosecutors further alleged that Ni Yulan was guilty of 'fraud' for misrepresenting herself as a lawyer in order to benefit financially. Ni Yulan's lawyer, Mr Cheng Hai, told reporters at the courthouse that the verdict was 'illegal and unfair'.

Ni Yulan and Dong Jiqin are being held in Xicheng District Detention Centre in Beijing. It is reported that Ni Yulan is in poor health, and according to her daughter, has been denied access to medical attention during her time in custody.

This is Ni Yulan's third prison sentence as a result of her work as a human rights defender. In 2002 Ni Yulan attempted to document on camera her neighbours' forced eviction and the demolition of their home. She was observed by the police, and subsequently dragged to a police station and beaten so severely that she was left permanently disabled. She was later jailed for a year. During Ni Yulan's second period of detention in 2008, prison authorities forbid her to use her crutches and as a result she was forced to crawl around the prison.

Following Ni Yulan's release from prison in 2010, she and her husband were forced to live in a park in Beijing for a number of months after having their home demolished and all their possessions confiscated. When their case gained domestic and international publicity, the couple were moved to a small room in a nearby hotel where they were kept under 24-hour surveillance. In December 2010, police began efforts to evict Ni Yulan and Dong Jiqin from their hotel room. It is thought that this was in response to Ni Yulan's continued assistance to people visiting her for legal advice following human rights violations. On 20 December 2010, police officers forced management at the hotel to cut the electricity supply to the couple's room. At the time of their detention, Ni Yulan and Dong Jiqin had been without electricity in their hotel room for 107 consecutive days. Front Line Defenders issued urgent appeals on 7 January 2011 and 8 April 2011 in this regard (http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/14189 /  http://www.frontlinedefenders.org/node/14864).

Front Line Defenders believes that the detention and sentencing of Ni Yulan and her husband Dong Jiqin are directly related to their work in the defence of human rights, in particular the provision of legal advice to those whose rights were violated. Front Line Defenders is seriously concerned for the physical and psychological integrity of Ni Yulan and Dong Jiqin, particularly in light of the fact that Ni Yulan has been denied access to medical attention during her time in custody.

Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in China to:

1. Immediately and unconditionally release and drop all charges against Ni Yulan and Dong Jiqin, as Front Line Defenders believes that they have been sentenced solely as a result of their legitimate and peaceful human rights work;
2. Ensure that Ni Yulan has immediate access to necessary medical treatment and take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity and security of Ni Yulan and Dong Jiqin while in detention;
3. Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in China are able to carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free of all restrictions including judicial harassment.