Several Weiquan lawyers have been involved in litigation and other forms of advocacy to defend the rights to free expression for individuals charged with the crime of subversion . Notable cases include that of Liu Xiaobo , a prominent Beijing intellectual sentenced to 11 years in prison for inciting subversion in December 2009 . Chengdu activist Tan Zuoren was sentenced to five years for inciting subversion for publishing writings on the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre , advocating for the families of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake victims , and accepting interviews from the Falun Gong-affiliated Sound of Hope radio . His lawyers were reportedly barred from entering the courtroom . In October 2009 , intellectual Guo Quan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for publishing " reactionary " articles online . Weiquan lawyers have also challenged the application of state secret laws , which are sometimes used to prosecute individuals who disseminate information on politically sensitive issues . In November 2009 , for instance , lawyers were involved in arguing for Huang Qi , a Sichuan activist who had advocated online for the parents of Sichuan earthquake victims . Huang was sentenced to three years in prison for possession of state secrets
2008 Sichuan earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
Weiquan movement