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Trial begins against activist Wang Lihong
Accused of "creating unrest" because she demanded the reopening of an investigation into the death of a girl. She has publicly supported Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, who Beijing considers a "criminal." Many dissidents slip security controls in a show of solidarity before the court.
Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - This morning the trial against activist Wang Lihong, one of the the first dissidents arrested in an attempt to stifle the so-called "jasmine revolution" in China, began this morning.
Wang, 56, is accused of "creating unrest," for her participation in a demonstration in April last year, in support of an illiterate woman who asked for the reopening of the investigation into the death of her murdered daughter.
However, Wang was only arrested last March in raids against dissidents and activists to prevent a "jasmine revolution" in China. The woman's son, Qi Jianxiang, 26, has pointed out that his mother is accused of a "crime" carried out in southern China, but is on trial in Beijing, perhaps to frighten dissidents.
Several of her supporters demonstrated today in front of the court house, shouting slogans such as "Wang Lihong, come home" and "Wang Lihong is innocent."
Among those present was also Lianhai Zhao, the man who founded a committee of parents of children who became sick or died during the melamine milk scandal. Zhao was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, then released from prison last December under constant surveillance. He managed to evade security to show solidarity with Wang.
Last October, Wang also openly celebrated the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the writer Liu Xiaobo, currently in jail, explaining to reporters that "every person must learn what it means to be a citizen, and not become subordinate to others," they "must know their human rights and guarantee them".
In recent months Beijing has arrested dozens of dissidents, lawyers and petitioners to stop any riot or demonstration from following in the footsteps of the revolts in the Middle East.