Sentenced

A Chinese court sentenced prominent human rights lawyer Wang Quanzhang to 4½ years in prison on charges of subverting state power following a closed-door trial. Wang was among approximately 300 lawyers and activists detained in 2015 as part of the so-called “709 crackdown,” named for the date, July 9, when it happened. He is likely one of the last among the group to be tried. Wang helped found the Chinese Urgent Action Working Group and was known for teaching Chinese villagers about their land and legal rights. “It’s outrageous that Wang Quanzhang is being punished for peacefully standing up for human rights in China,” Amnesty International China researcher Doriane Lau said in a statement. “He must be immediately and unconditionally released.”

Awarded

A Florida jury awarded a hotel dishwasher $21.5 million after her employer fired her for refusing to work on Sundays. Marie Jean Pierre, 60, told the hotel when she was hired that she did not work Sundays for religious reasons. They scheduled her anyway. Pierre threatened to resign and for some years they accommodated her. Then, in 2015, a kitchen manager began giving her Sunday shifts again. For a few months, Pierre managed to swap shifts with other workers so she could make it to church. Then, on March 31, 2016, she was fired for “unexcused absences,” according to the media. Pierre sued the hotel company, Park Hotels & Resorts, for discrimination on the basis of religion and won. However, a spokesperson for the hotel company has indicated they intend to appeal the verdict.

Upheld

The Pakistani Supreme Court on Jan. 29 upheld the acquittal of Asia Bibi, the Catholic woman and mother of five sentenced to death in 2010 for blasphemy against Islam. The ruling finally clears Bibi to leave the country and seek asylum elsewhere. Pakistani Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa said in court that Bibi’s accusers committed perjury, noting fabricated evidence and contradictory statements by accusing Islamic clerics. The high court dismissed a petition asking it to review its Oct. 31 acquittal of Bibi. Radical Islamists took to the streets to protest the decision, calling for the killing of the judges who issued the ruling and for the overthrow of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Refused

Two Christian artists in Phoenix, Ariz., are in court, asking for the freedom to refuse orders for same-sex wedding invitations. Phoenix has an anti-discrimination ordinance that states any business owner who refuses service on the basis of sexual orientation can receive a $2,500 penalty and six months in jail. Joanna Duke and Breanna Koski argue that complying with this law with regard to same-sex weddings would violate their religious faith, as they believe God made marriage between a man and a woman. They want to put a statement on their website stating they will only create art that doesn’t violate their religious convictions but need the ordinance changed if they are going to do so safely. Their case is currently before the Arizona Supreme Court.

Ended

A weeklong teacher strike in Los Angeles ended after the teachers union reached a deal with city officials. Tens of thousands of teachers had marched through the city and picketed schools for six school days, calling for accommodations that included caps on class sizes and fewer standardized tests. However, union members told the media the most significant victory involved the district’s charter schools. The school board agreed to bring forward a request to the state asking for a cap on the number of charter schools. These schools, publicly funded but privately managed, are generally not unionized and can compete with public schools for money and students. Currently, California has more than 1,100 charter schools and allows 100 new charters to open every year.