A former official turned dissident was prevented from defending himself yesterday when he went on trial for fraud, his sister said.
Fang Jue, 44, pleaded not guilty to charges of embezzlement and illegal business activities during a four-hour court hearing that ended without a verdict.
'There was heated debate in the hearing since Fang's lawyer disputed the lack of legal evidence to support the charges,' Fang's sister, Liu Jing said.
'My brother also complained that he had been beaten up and tortured spiritually by police during his detention. But the three-judge panel said that was irrelevant to the hearing.' They finally stopped him from making his final self-defence statement, said Ms Liu.
Fang's sister said US Embassy officials had contacted her and promised to step up pressure on Beijing to seek his unconditional release.
Beijing leaders were alarmed early last year by Fang's demands for political reforms. He claimed his plea was supported by 200 middle-ranking cadres.