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Chinese rights advocate Xu Zhiyong on trial for state subversion amid secrecy and tight security
- Xu and fellow advocate for Chinese civil rights Ding Jiaxi have been detained for more than two years
- Xu’s sister reports being taken away by unidentified men in the middle of the night and denied necessities for nine hours before her brother’s trial
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China is putting two of the country’s most prominent civil rights leaders, Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi, through closed-door state subversion trials this week amid tight security.
No family members or supporters were allowed to attend Xu’s trial held in the Linshu County People’s Court in Shandong province on Wednesday morning.
The activist’s legal representatives declined to comment. It is understood the lawyers have been asked to sign confidentiality agreements barring them from speaking to the media or risk severe consequences.
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The trial ended early on Wednesday evening and no information relating to the court proceeding has been made public. A verdict will be announced at a later date.
Ding’s case is scheduled to be heard in the same court on Friday morning.
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Xu, 49, and Ding, 54, have been long-standing advocates for civil rights, making them frequent targets of the state. In recent years, China has zeroed in on organised political activism in all forms, including moderate dissidents, to effectively wipe it out.
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