Three-hour trial for China's most high profile rights lawyer in Beijing

The trial of one of China’s most high profile human rights lawyers, on charges of inciting ethnic hatred and provoking trouble, lasted just three hours, with police blocking diplomats, foreign reporters, and protesters from the Beijing court.

Pu Zhiqiang, who has spent nearly 19 months in detention, faces up to eight years in prison if convicted, according to one of his lawyers, Shang Baojun.

As many as 11 diplomats from countries including the US, Germany, and France congregated near the courthouse seeking to observe the trial.

They were refused admittance by the police.

Dan Biers, deputy political counsellor of the US embassy in Beijing, called for Pu’s release and criticised the “vague charges” that have been handed down against Pu.

Police tried to prevent Biers from reading out a statement near the courthouse, pushing him and foreign reporters out of the way.

Dozens of police and plainclothes security surrounded the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court, where they blocked foreign journalists attempting to report on the trial.

The moment Chinese police prevent senior US diplomat Dan Biers from giving statement outside Pu Zhiqiang trial pic.twitter.com/1qUioILXiK

— Tom Phillips (@tomphillipsin) December 14, 2015

Neither the court nor public security authorities could immediately be reached for comment.

The foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China has charged many human rights activists with “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, saying it is a country with rule of law and dismissing any international criticism on its rights record.

The main accusations against Pu revolve around seven microblog posts on his online accounts, his lawyers say.

The posts had criticised China’s ethnic policy in the troubled western region of Xinjiang and denounced several officials.

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

“He admitted the seven microblogs were written by him, there was no issue with it, this is a fact,” Mo said, recounting what Pu said in court.

“Secondly, he said that if these microblog posts had caused injury to other people, he apologises for it.

"Thirdly, he had no intention to incite ethnic hatred or pick quarrels and provoke trouble.”

Mo said the court did not ask Pu specifically whether he was pleading guilty.

Pu’s case will be seen by rights groups and the West as a measure of what they say is the most severe clampdown on human rights in two decades in China.

“Pu’s trial is extremely important — he’s the ultimate canary in the coalmine,” said Maya Wang, a China researcher for Human Rights Watch.

“If they decide to be harsh against him, I’d say it’ll signify a further escalation of hostility towards human rights activism.”