- 19 minutes ago
- From the section China
There have been scuffles outside a courtroom in Beijing as one of China's most prominent human rights lawyers was put on trial.
Pu Zhiqiang is accused of "inciting ethnic hatred" and "picking quarrels and provoking trouble". The trial ended with no verdict announced, his family has told reporters.
Police scuffled with foreign journalists, diplomats and protesters who were barred from entering.
Mr Pu is the latest to be tried in a crackdown on lawyers, dissidents and those accused of corruption.
He posted comments on social media mocking the ruling Communist Party and questioning policies towards Xinjiang's Muslim Uighur minority, as well as Tibetans. The lawyer faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.
Mr Pu's family said he had pleaded not guilty to all charges. His wife was allowed to attend the trial.
Dragged away
The court has not said when it will announce the verdict. The BBC's John Sudworth says that given the government's tight control of the courts, there is almost no chance of an acquittal and Mr Pu probably faces a lengthy spell in prison.
Image copyright AFP His family told reporters that although the lawyer had lost a lot of weight and his hair had turned grey, he appeared to be in good health and had an alert mind.
Outside the court, a small group of Mr Pu's friends and supporters held a protest on Monday morning.
A US diplomat read out a statement saying that lawyers and civil society leaders in China should not be subject to "continuing repression" and called on Beijing to uphold rights enshrined in the country's constitution.
An EU diplomat was prevented from making a statement outside court.
It said that the trial raised "serious questions of consistency with China's constitutional guarantees of freedom of assembly, opinion and expression," according to photographs of the statement posted on social media by reporters.
The Foreign Correspondents Club of China posted a statement online condemning the manhandling of journalists, saying that at least one journalist was "slammed to the ground" by a security officer while others were pushed, shoved and punched in the back.
International rights groups have described Mr Pu's case as political persecution. Amnesty International says there have been "repeated procedural irregularities" in his prosecution.
Pu Zhiqiang represented artist Ai Weiwei in a tax evasion case that critics complained was politically motivated. He also campaigned for the eventual abolition of the labour camp system, under which suspects could be detained for years without trial.
Diplomats from some countries were gathered outside court but reporters at the scene said officials would not allow any of them to enter.
The Foreign Correspondents Club of China posted a statement online condemning the manhandling of journalists, saying that at least one journalist (a BBC News reporter) was "slammed to the ground" by a security officer while others were pushed, shoved and punched in the back.
International rights groups have described Mr Pu's case as political persecution. Amnesty International says there have been "repeated procedural irregularities" in his prosecution.
Pu Zhiqiang represented artist Ai Weiwei in a tax evasion case that critics complained was politically motivated. He also campaigned for the eventual abolition of the labour camp system, under which suspects could be detained for years without trial.
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