Chinese human rights lawyer Chang Weiping in closed-door trial as family barred from county
- Chang, 38, is accused of subversion of state power and is said to be awaiting a verdict; his wife says police blocked family’s car at highway exit for 20 hours
- Chang is known for his public interest litigation representing clients facing discrimination over HIV and sexual orientation, and for political dissent cases
The 38-year-old lawyer was accused of subversion of state power, according to a trial notice issued by the Baoji Municipality Intermediate People Court last week. Chang’s case was heard at Fengxian People’s Court in the northwest of the country.
His two lawyers were asked to sign confidentiality agreements that prohibited them from disclosing details of the trial, according to Chen Zijuan, Chang’s wife.
I know my husband is innocent and was cruelly tortured, yet we remain helpless when confronted by a violent state apparatus
“All I know is that he attended the hearing in a hazmat suit and is waiting for the verdict,” Chen said. “The lawyers couldn’t tell me any more than that.”
Chen, an oncology researcher at a Shenzhen hospital, flew with their eight-year-old son and her mother, 62, to Xian, rented a car at the airport and drove four hours to attend the hearing. But she said they were stopped from entering Feng county, where it was held.
Chen said a special police vehicle and three other police cars blocked their hire car at the highway exit for 20 hours – from Monday evening until the trial was over at noon on Tuesday. She said there were dozens of police officers guarding them and an ambulance was standing by.
“I really didn’t think they would go that far,” she said. “We were stuck in the car the entire time with little food and water. We were too scared to leave the vehicle as the police kept knocking on the windows and threatening to take us into quarantine.”