The migrant workers were deemed by court to be "disrupting public services" when they held a strike to get their salaries. (Photo : Getty Images)
Eight migrant workers had been sentenced to imprisonment by a court in the Southwestern Province of Sichuan in China for demanding that they get paid their salaries.
The People's Court of Langzhong in Sichuan sentenced the suspects after deeming them guilty of "disrupting public services" when they went on strike to protest the delay of the payment of their salaries, the Global Times reported Friday.
The migrant workers will be spending six to eight months in prison as per the sentence handed down and stated in the local court's official website on Wednesday.
According to CriEnglish, the workers who stood trial were among hundreds who participated in a labor strike and rally on Aug. 29, 2015.
During the rally, the workers gathered in one of Langzhong's most famous scenic spots where they blocked entry ways to the area, leaving tourists stranded inside.
Apparently, the workers' goal was to pressure the government to release their salaries.
Law enforcement officers rushed on the scene and advised them to seek legal counsel regarding their salary concerns instead of disrupting public peace.
Instead of listening, four of the protesters attacked one police officer and forcefully brought him to a local government office in a bid to pressure the government to do their bidding.
Unfortunately, the move backfired and many of them were arrested and faced public trial.
Two of the eight who faced trial were granted reprieve.
Many considered the manner at which they were treated during the trial far from humane, after the convicts were displayed on a stage while a court official read their verdict as shown on images posted in the court's website.
According to the Global Times, the Ministry of Public Security, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and the Supreme People's Court deemed it unlawful for suspects and convicts to be paraded in public as it unfairly subjects them to humiliation.
The images and the statement indicating the court's decision were later removed Thursday after gaining criticism.
