Xu Zhiyong, one of China's most prominent human rights activists will stand trial next week for "assembling a crowd to disrupt order in a public place". He could spend up to five years if convicted. His lawyer stated that his conviction is all but certain. The lawyer even tried to convince the court officials of procedural flaws in the case but the officials ignored him and went on with the notice. China's courts are controlled by the Communist Party and they rarely every find defendants innocent, especially in political cases like this one. The trials will be a show of determination of President XI Jinping and other Communist Party leaders to extinguish any organized opposition, who are trying to challenge their control. Some of Xu Zhiyong campaigns have been arbitrary detention by the police, discriminatory barriers against rural schoolchildren and "black jaisl" used to secretly detain aggrieved citizens who travel to Beijing to complain to officials. He is also known for protests across the country demanding that Communist Party officials disclose their wealth, release political prisoners and give people more say in government. The prosecutors' indictment against Xu is that he orchestrated protest in Beijing, including a gathering by people calling for equal schooling opportunities for rural and urban children. The trial will sure attract Chinese supporters and Western diplomats. Though there will be a lot of individuals who will be excluded from the courtroom.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/world/asia/trial-set-for-prominent-rights-activist-in-china.html?ref=world
Simona Gudynaite
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