In China, a well-known real estate entrepreneur and critic has been sentenced to 18 years in prison by President Xi Jinping. A court in Beijing today sentenced Ren Zhiqiang, who was charged with corruption, among other charges. Although the 69-year-old was a member of the Communist Party, he has long been considered a critic of the Chinese leadership.
Shortly before he disappeared from the public eye in March, the entrepreneur called the president a “clown” in an article and sharply criticized his policy in the CoV pandemic. This was followed by the official indictment and expulsion from the party.
According to official information, more than a million civil servants and politicians at all levels have been punished in the course of Xi’s anti-corruption campaign. Critics accuse the president of abusing the campaign to consolidate his power and eliminate political opponents.
