Activist defies 'theater' court

(The Standard 23 Jan, 2014) Rights activist Xu Zhiyong was tried for his role in anti- corruption protests but defied the court by refusing to speak, his lawyer said, calling the proceedings a "piece of theater."

 

Prosecutors called for Xu, founder of the New Citizens Movement, to be sentenced to the maximum five years in jail for "assembling a crowd to disrupt order in a public place."

The 40-year-old legal scholar is accused of being involved in demonstrations featuring banners calling for asset disclosure by officials - seen as a key measure against graft.

Dozens of uniformed and plainclothes police surrounded the court in Beijing, with some physically pushing reporters away. Xu supporters said at least three protesters were detained.

 

Xu's lawyer Zhang Qingfang said he and his client remained silent inside the court. "We don't want to take part in a piece of theater, we are not actors, we can't act," he said.

"The court tried to persuade Xu to speak and spent 10 minutes trying to persuade the lawyers to speak," added Zhang, who called the trial procedurally flawed and the evidence insufficient. "Xu maintained silence throughout the trial."

The trial closed in six hours, with no date set for the verdict. Xu is one of several New Citizens Movement activists standing trial this week in what has been viewed as part of a government crackdown on dissent. They are all almost certain to be found guilty by the politically controlled mainland courts.

The trials come despite a much-publicized anti-corruption drive under President Xi Jinping, and overseas rights groups have condemned the proceedings as hypocritical.

At least 20 supporters gathered near the courthouse, some unveiling a red banner calling for officials to disclose their assets - similar to the actions that led to Xu being charged.

"If you don't declare your assets, it shows you must have a secret," said one of them.

BBC footage showed hooded men wordlessly forcing a journalist and cameraman backward along a pavement, while a CNN reporter said on Twitter that officials broke his camera.

The foreign ministry said journalists entered "a restricted area, so the managing staff removed them from the premises."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE