From Washington, this is VOA News.
I’m Frances Alonzo reporting.
A court in Tianjin Tuesday handed down a guilty verdict for Chinese rights defender Zhai Yanmin, who was given a three-year jail term with a four-year probation period after being found guilty of “state subversion.”
Zhai’s verdict came a day after the alleged release of lawyer Wang Yu, both of whom were among those 300-odd rights activists arrested since China started its nationwide crackdown on lawyers last July.
Human rights groups questioned the fairness of Zhai’s trial, saying they have been marred by multiple procedural violations, including a three-day notice to his family.
Three other rights activists were also said to be standing trial on Tuesday, but no court decisions have yet been disclosed.
The foiled coup attempt seeking to unseat the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has cost the Turkish economy 300 billion lira or $100 billion, according to the Customs and Commerce Minister.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Minister Tuesday said his government was doing all it could to... for the plotters against last month's failed coup, which left 271 people dead. This is Mevlut Cavusoglu.
"We are taking all the necessary legal measures against the plotters of coup, namely the terrorist organization FETO, headed by Fethullah Gulen, based in Pennsylvania. All those responsible will be brought to justice."
The Turkish Foreign Minister was speaking at a news conference after meeting his Pakistani counterpart, Sartaj Aziz, in Islamabad.
VOA News.
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