Police scuffled with protesters and journalists at a Beijing courthouse as prominent rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang stood trial on charges of provoking trouble and stirring ethnic hatred with commentaries posted online that were critical of the Communist Party.
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Pu denied the charges at Monday’s three-hour, closed-door hearing at Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court, according to his defense attorney.
An outspoken lawyer, Pu has defended a string of sensitive figures in China including celebrity artist Ai Wei Wei. “We urge Chinese authorities to release Mr. Pu, and call upon China to uphold fundamental civil rights and fair trial guarantees, as enshrined in the PRC constitution and its worldwide human rights commitments”.
Activists and human rights groups say that since 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has presided over the country’s most intense crackdown on dissent since the years following the massacre.
About a dozen diplomats from countries including Britain, the United States, Germany and Australia arrived at the court but were barred by police from observing the trial.
Inside the the court, the prosecution was basing its case on seven tweets made by Pu to the Twitter-like Sina Weibo social media platform, his lawyer Mo Shaoping told RFA. “If they decide to be harsh against him, I’d say it’ll signify a further escalation of hostility towards human rights activism”, Maya Wang, a China researcher for Human Rights Watch, said.
Some of those supporting the lawyer were seen being escorted away by officers, while others held up signs saying “Speech freedom” and “Lawyer Pu is innocent” across the road.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China also condemned police obstruction outside the courthouse, writing that “this effort to deter news coverage is a gross violation of Chinese government rules governing foreign correspondents, which expressly permit them to interview anybody who consents to be interviewed”. Others were pushed, shoved and punched in the back as they were hustled away from the courtroom.
Journalists outside the courthouse reported that another diplomat, this time from the European Union, was prevented from making statement.
During Monday’s trial, Pu stood accused of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles” and “inciting ethnic hatred”.
Authorities dragged at least three people away while senior US diplomat Dan Biers was reportedly pushed by police as he tried to read a statement condemning the trial, the AFP reports.
“Lawyers and civil society leaders such as Mr Pu should not be subject to continuing repression but should be allowed to contribute to the building of a prosperous and stable China”, Biers said.
Pu, 50, was detained in May 2014 after he attended a meeting in a private home to commemorate the suppression of pro-democracy protests in and around Tiananmen Square in 1989. It is not yet clear when a verdict will be announced.
An open Chinese human rights attorney went on trial for comments he posted. “This is actually a case of freedom of expression, in which no damage to anyone has been established”, Mo said.
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A former colleague of Pu told the Post that his popularity has led to him being perceived as a threat amid pressure on lawyers and rights advocates.
