Chinese activists who posted censored Covid-19 articles face court

Cai Wei and Chen Mei await verdict after they were tried in Beijing on Tuesday after more than a year in detention

Supporters gave flowers symbolising freedom and justice to the families of the men, who used GitHub to save banned stories

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Chen Mei’s mother (left) and Cai Wei’s father with flowers given to them by the defendants’ supporters. Photo: AP

Published: 3:52pm, 11 May 2021Updated: 11:21pm, 11 May 2021

Two Chinese activists swept up in a crackdown against reporting on the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic were tried in a Beijing court on Tuesday, after more than a year in detention.

Cai Wei and Chen Mei, who pleaded guilty, archived censored articles about Covid-19 and ran an online discussion forum before they were detained in April last year and charged with “picking quarrels and provoking troubles” – a catch-all offence which has been used to punish a number of activists who contradicted the official narrative on the pandemic.

A verdict will be announced later, according to the pair’s families, but citizen journalist Zhang Zhan – who reported her findings from on the ground in Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the disease first emerged – was jailed for four years in December last year for the same offence.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only one member of each of the defendants’ families was allowed to attend the trial at Wenyuhe People’s Court, an old justice building in the city’s northeast. Chen’s mother, who asked to be identified only by her surname Wei, said it was the first time she had seen her son since he was detained.

Wei said Chen was wearing a protective suit, making it hard to see his expression, but his voice sounded like he had been crying and his tone was regretful.

“I don‘t agree that he committed a crime, but his behaviour and thinking may have been slightly radical. I don’t think he intended to go against the Chinese Communist Party,” she said. “I’m worried for his future. I’m heartbroken to see him handcuffed and shackled. The trial was just a show.”

Chen Mei, who worked on the Terminus2049 project with his friend Cai Wei. Photo: Handout

Outside the court, supporters of the two men presented flowers to Wei and Cai’s father, who was also present at the trial. Aoi, who works in the film industry, brought two bunches of camomile – representing freedom and justice – to give to Cai and Chen’s relatives. “[The case] reflects the problems of the whole system,” Aoi said.