According to RDN (
16 May 14;
21 June 14;
19 June 15), SCMP (
16 May 14) China Free Press (
16 May 14), RFA (
23 July 15;
24 July 15), NYT (
28 January 16), and Twitter (
18 October 17), on May 16, 2014, public security officials in Baiyun district, Guangzhou municipality, Guangdong province, criminally detained lawyer Tang Jingling on suspicion of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble." On June 20, officials formally arrested Tang on suspicion of "inciting subversion of state power" (
CL, art. 105), detaining him at the Guangzhou No. 1 PSB Detention Center. Tang and activists
Wang Qingying and
Yuan Xinting participated in the "Nonviolent Citizens' Disobedience Movement," a network of activists advocating legal and social reform. All three called for a "June Fourth Meditation" before their May 2014 detentions. On June 19, 2015, the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court tried Wang, Yuan, and Tang. On January 29, 2016, the court convicted and sentenced Tang to 5 years in prison. As of October 2017, authorities held Tang at Zhaoqing Prison. Tang gained prominence as a lawyer working on compensation and corruption cases and representing activists. Tang was prevented from practicing law since 2005.