Chinese activist Xu Zhiyong goes on trial
The founder of a grassroots movement to boost accountability for China’s officials has gone trial on charges of disrupting public order but stayed silent during the closed-door proceedings in protest, his lawyer said.
The trial against New Citizens founder Xu Zhiyong reflects determination by the administration of leader Xi Jinping to quash the loosely knit activists before they can challenge Communist Party rule, even though their goals largely overlap with the party’s stated drive to root out public corruption and build a fairer society.
