Second Chinese rights activist Ding Jiaxi stands trial on state subversion charges in secret proceeding
- No family or supporters were in court as prominent civil rights leader went on trial in Shandong province on Friday
- A decade ago Ding, an engineer turned lawyer, joined Xu Zhiyong’s cause to promote the New Citizens’ Movement
Ding Jiaxi, one of China’s most prominent civil rights leaders, went on trial behind closed doors on Friday on charges of state subversion.
His trial was held without any of his family or supporters present, at the Linshu County People’s Court in Shandong province, eastern China.
Ding’s lawyers could not be reached for comment. The legal representatives had been ordered to sign confidentiality agreements forbidding them from speaking to the media or risk severe consequences, according to Luo Shengchun, Ding’s wife.
“[Ding’s] relatives in the mainland are being closely watched and guarded, [they] cannot leave their homes,” said Luo, who lives in the United States.
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Ding has long been a civil rights activist, making him a frequent target of the authorities. China has in recent years focused on suppressing organised political activism in all forms, including moderate dissidents.
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According to an indictment issued by the municipal prosecutor’s office in Linyi last year, Ding was charged with subverting state power for leading a “citizens’ movement” together with Xu. Under the Chinese criminal code, the charge of subverting state power can carry a sentence of up to life in prison.
The two are charged with organising “secret meetings” with the aim of overthrowing the state, gathering a community of individuals to make an “illegal” documentary, establishing websites and publishing subversive content.
By 2012, Ding, an engineer turned lawyer who was successful in both careers, had joined Xu’s cause to promote the New Citizens’ Movement. They campaigned against corruption and the death penalty while also advocating for the education rights of migrant workers’ children and encouraging Chinese people to exercise their rights as enshrined in the constitution.
Both have been jailed before for their activism. They were detained in 2013 and convicted in 2014 for “gathering crowds to disrupt public order”.
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Xu received a prison sentence of four years and Ding was sentenced to 3½ years after launching campaigns urging China’s most powerful officials to disclose their wealth.
Ding and Xu were released in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Ding was detained again in late 2019 and Xu in February 2020 after the gathering in Xiamen.
