Chinese rights lawyer stands trial for social media posts
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Police scuffled with protesters and journalists at a Beijing courthouse Monday as prominent rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang stood trial on charges of provoking trouble and stirring ethnic hatred with commentaries posted online that were critical of the ruling Communist Party.
Chinese protesters and foreign rights groups said Pu's trial at the No. 2 Beijing Intermediate Court amounted to political persecution, and foreign governments including the U.S. called for his release. The trial concluded about midday, and Pu's lawyer Shang Baojun said a verdict and sentence would be delivered at a later date.
"Pu Zhiqiang is a lawyer with a conscience," activist Yang Qiuyu said in a brief interview outside the venue while a policeman tried to grab him. "This is why he is now under arrest. We support him, and that means that we are also defending our own rights."
