An appeals court in Guangdong dealing with a case involving the disclosure of information related to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s family has not provided defense lawyers with the full body of evidence, leading to suspicions that the court is preparing to deliver its verdict in writing behind closed doors.

Niu Tengyu, the alleged principal offender behind a wiki-based website, was sentenced to 14 years in prison by the Maoming Maonan People’s Court in December, while 23 others associated with the site were given shorter sentences.

Niu’s lawyer, Bao Longjun, told Radio Free Asia that the appeals court had been pressing for defense statements to be submitted but had not provided approximately 30 pieces of evidence relevant to the case.

This could be an indication that the Maoming Intermediate People’s Court, which is handling the appeal, was preparing to deliver its verdict in writing in a closed session, Bao said, adding that such a move could be unlawful.

The appeals court claimed that the first instance court had not provided the missing evidence. Court records, however, showed that 70 pieces of evidence had been provided, which is more than the 40 that defense lawyers had been given access to.

Niu’s mother alleged that confessions had been extracted through torture, and a chat group set up for the defendants’ family members had seen five people withdraw due to pressure from authorities.

In May 2019, overseas websites disclosed personal information related to Xi Mingze, the daughter of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Police investigations revealed that the suspected administrator was outside China and could not be arrested, so the investigation turned to a domestic wiki-based forum which had posted the information.

Niu was convicted in December of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, violating others’ privacy and running an illegal business, Radio Free Asia reported.

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