This file photo taken on September 24, 2019 shows Chinese pig farmer and billionaire Sun Dawu posing at a feed warehouse in Hebei, outside Beijing. Photo: Internet Source

Sun Dawu, chairman of Dawu Agriculture Group, was arrested after praising lawyers during a crackdown on legal activists by President Xi Jinping’s government.

He was among 20 defendants who stood trial in the People’s Court of Gaobeidian, southwest of Beijing in Hebei province. They were arrested after Dawu employees in August 2020 tried to stop a state-owned enterprise from demolishing a company building.

The court said Sun was found guilty of crimes including “gathering a crowd to attack state organs”, “obstructing government administration” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”.

Other defendants received sentences ranging from one to 12 years, according to a statement from Dawu Group. It said the company was ordered to refund 1 billion yuan ($155m) in investment that was raised improperly.

Sun became nationally known in 2003 when he was charged with illegal fundraising after soliciting investments for his business from friends and neighbours. The case prompted an outpouring of public support for Sun.

Since then, Sun has praised lawyers who help the public at a time when prominent legal figures have been imprisoned by Xi’s government. Sun’s lawyer in the 2003 case, Xu Zhiyong, disappeared in February 2020. Fellow activists say he was charged with treason.

The trial officially was open to the public but only one spectator from the family of each defendant and 10 from the company were allowed due to coronavirus restrictions, defence lawyers said earlier.