Trial of Chinese lawyer held behind closed doors
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Tianjin: The trial of a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer took place on Wednesday but was closed to the public because of “state secrets”, a northern Chinese court said, AFP reported.
Wang Quanzhang, 42, who defended political activists and victims of land seizures, disappeared in a 2015 sweep aimed at courtroom critics of Communist authorities.
Charged in January 2016 with alleged “subversion of state power”, Mr. Wang had been in legal limbo — detained without a trial date — until Monday, when his government-appointed lawyer finally contacted his wife with the court date.
“The defendant... was tried in the first instance of the Tianjin Second Intermediate People’s Court today,” the court said in a statement. “Due to the state secrets involved, the court decided not to open the trial to the public. The verdict in this case will be pronounced at a later date.”
The closed-door proceedings were conducted in a heavily-guarded courthouse in the northern city of Tianjin, with Mr. Wang’s wife prevented from attending the session and at least two activists detained for protesting outside the building.