Beijing: Glimpses of a courthouse scuffle

Prominent rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang has gone on trial over charges of provoking trouble with commentaries on social media that were critical of China’s ruling Communist Party.

The British Embassy confirmed their diplomat was among a several diplomats from countries including the United States, Germany and Australia who showed up at the No 2 Beijing Intermediate People’s courthouse but were barred by police from observing the trial.

Pu Zhiqiang, 50, who has spent almost 19 months in detention, faces up to eight years in prison if convicted, according to one of his lawyers, Mr Shang Baojun. “If they decide to be harsh against him, I’d say it’ll signify a further escalation of hostility towards human rights activism”, Maya Wang, a China researcher for Human Rights Watch, said.

Police forcefully barred observers – including diplomats, journalists and supporters – from entering the courtroom.

As the trial was proceeding, authorities and security officials scuffled with his assistants, Western diplomats and journalists gathered outside the courthouse.

Pu also said that if any had been offended by what he wrote, he was willing to apologize.

Diplomats from 11 countries were said to have been “pushed” and “shoved” after congregating to witness the trail against Pu Zhiqiang on “vague” charges resulting from seven “sarcastic” tweets, and his attendance at a 2014 ceremony commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, which Pu reportedly also attended as a student.

Pu’s trial lasted a little over three hours, Mr Mo Shaoping, another of his lawyers, told Reuters.

Pu Zhiqiang represented artist Ai Weiwei in a tax evasion case that critics complained was politically motivated. The case is centered around seven posts on Pu’s microblog criticizing ethnic policy and government officials in the restive province of Xinjiang, where Beijing has been working to quell unrest and outbursts of fighting amongst its Uighur minority.

Mr Pu is accused of “inciting ethnic hatred” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” by the Chinese authorities.

Reached by phone on Monday, Meng said she finally had the chance to see her husband.

Demonstrators shouted protests outside the court building.

Pu Zhiqiang supporters gathered outside a Beijing courthouse.

But ethnic Mongolian rights activist Xinna rejected the claims of incitement to ethnic hatred against Pu, saying he is being put on trial for criticizing Beijing’s treatment of ethnic minorities.

The trial finished without a verdict announced, BBC reports.

“They don’t even have humanity – how can we even begin to talk about human rights?” she said.

The case has attracted so much attention because of Pu’s professional stature – his work has been praised by state-run magazines – and the fact he faces a near-certain conviction on what many consider a problematic, catch-all charge. Another, veteran journalist Gao Yu, 71, was freed on medical parole last month after agreeing to plead guilty and stop fighting charges of leaking a secret party document.