Trial of Dissident China Writer Begins

The Associated Press
Tuesday, January 22, 2008; 5:29 AM

BEIJING — A Chinese dissident who wrote about corruption went on trial Tuesday for subversion, his lawyer said, a charge used frequently to silence whistle-blowers and critics of the ruling Communist Party.

Lu Gengsong’s trial at the Hangzhou Intermediate Court lasted three hours, but a result was not expected for about another month, said his lawyer, Mo Shaoping. Hangzhou is south of Shanghai in eastern China.

“We are still trying to defend Lu’s innocence,” Mo told The Associated Press. Mo said the indictment cited 19 essays Lu had posted on the Internet, but he did not elaborate on the allegedly subversive passages.

Lu’s wife, Wang Xue’e, said last week that Lu had written about local corruption cases, including allegations that city officials colluded with business people on real estate development projects. He was charged with “inciting subversion of state power,” and could face years in prison if he is convicted.

Telephone calls to Wang and the Hangzhou court were not answered Tuesday.

Mo said only Wang, their daughter and two of Lu’s friends were allowed into the court for the hearing.

Wang has said her husband was fired from his job as a lecturer at a police training academy in 1993 and has since worked as a freelance writer.

China’s ruling Communist Party maintains tight control over all media and the Internet, although it has loosened some restrictions on foreign reporters ahead of this summer’s Beijing Olympics.

However, rights groups have accused Beijing of failing to consistently apply even those modest reforms.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists labels China the world’s leading jailer of journalists, saying at least 29 reporters are currently locked up and their lawyers routinely harassed.