A local court in Southwest China's Sichuan Province has publicly sentenced eight migrant workers for "disrupting public services" while demanding unpaid salaries.
According to a statement published on the official website of the People's Court of Langzhong, Sichuan on Wednesday, eight people were sentenced to between six and eight months in jail, though two of them have received reprieve.
Photos released on the website showed the convicted people flanked by police standing on a stage as an official standing behind them reads the court's verdict.
Both the statement and the photos had been removed from the court's website as of press time on Thursday.
According to the statement, on August 29, 2015, over 100 workers gathered in front of a real estate development company to demand their salaries. After failing to get their money, the workers blocked the gate of a local tourist attraction and stopped visitors from entering.
Four of the workers then grabbed a police officer and forced him to come with them to the city government's offices in an attempt to direct public pressure onto the property developer.
Many have argued that the open trial of the workers showed no respect for their personal dignity.
The Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Ministry of Public Security in 1988 jointly announced that it is illegal to parade the accused or the convicted through the streets.
