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The Fight For Freedom in Burma

Scuffles outside Chinese activist Pu

Zhiqiang's trial
The prominent human rights lawyer is now on trial
himself for comments he made on social media
By Jennifer Pak, China7:58AM GMT 14 Dec 2015
Chinese police shoved diplomats, journalists and protestors away from a Beijing
courthouse where the trial of prominent human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang began on
Monday. Mr Pu is accused of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble as well as
inciting ethnic hatred through messages online. International rights groups say the
case is political persecution. The British Embassy confirmed their diplomat was
among a several diplomats from countries including the United States, Germany and
Australia who showed up at the No 2 Beijing Intermediate Peoples courthouse but
were barred by police from observing the trial. US embassy diplomat, Dan Biers,
tried to read a statement criticising the charges against Mr Pu as vague and called
for the lawyers release when he was interrupted by the police. Videos uploaded
online showed uniformed officers and those in plain clothes pushing him and foreign
reporters out of the way while shouting leave! in Chinese. Journalists outside the
courthouse reported that another diplomat, this time from the European Union, was
prevented from making statement. The Foreign Correspondents Club condemned
Chinese authorities' assaults on the journalists reporting on the trial, which lasted
just three hours.
Chinese police also interfered with reporters by trying to block cameramen from
filming as they pulled journalists like the BBCs John Sudworth away from the
courthouse. Other journalists reported more aggressive treatment by the police: The
Sydney Morning Heralds correspondent Philip Wen posted on his Twitter feed that
he was shoved to the ground by a plainclothes policeman and Sky News Asia's Katie
Stallard told how she was smacked in the mouth.
ANTI-MILITARY DICTATORSHIP IN MYANMAR/BURMA 2015 - no.0877
Chinese activist Pu Zhiqiang's trial

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The Fight For Freedom in Burma

Some of Mr Pus supporters gathered outside the courthouse were detained.

Most of the videos and pictures of the scuffles outside of the courthouse took a long
time to load or were inaccessible on the heavily censored Chinese Internet.
An online search for Pu Zhiqiangs Chinese name on the popular social media
platform Weibo said the results were blocked due to relevant laws, regulations and
policies".
However, defiant state media reports stating that Mr Pus case would not be decided
based on pressure from the west were widely available.
Mr Pus lawyers said the case centred on seven messages he posted on a Chinese
social media platform which criticised government policy and officials.
Activist Yang Qiuyu told the Associated Press that Mr Pu is a lawyer with a
conscience".

ANTI-MILITARY DICTATORSHIP IN MYANMAR/BURMA 2015 - no.0877

Chinese activist Pu Zhiqiang's trial

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"This is why he is now under arrest. We support him, and that means that we are
also defending our own rights," he said.
Mr Pu faces up to eight years in jail if he is found guilty. It is not yet clear when a
verdict will be announced.

ANTI-MILITARY DICTATORSHIP IN MYANMAR/BURMA 2015 - no.0877

Chinese activist Pu Zhiqiang's trial

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The Fight For Freedom in Burma
INDEX - TAG
AUNG SAN SUU KYI,MYANMAR, BURMA, GENERAL AUNG SAN, GENERAL NE WIN, SENIOR GENERAL SAW MAUNG, SENIOR
GENERAL THAN SHWE, GENERAL THEIN SEIN, GENERAL TIN OO, NLD, HUMANRIGHTS IN MYANMAR/BURMA, MILITARY
DICTORSHIP IN MYANMAR/BURMA, CEASEFIRE AND PEACE IN MYANMAR/BURMA, YANGON, RANGOON, MANDALAY, SHAN,
UWSA WA, KACHIN, CHINA-MYANMAR RELATIONS, INDIA-MYANMAR RELATIONS, THAILAND-MYANMAR RELATIONS,
BANGALADESH-MYANMAR RELATIONS, HISTORY OF BURMA, HISTORY OF MYANMAR, HISTORY OF SOUTH EAST ASIA,
RANGOON, YANGON, MANDALAY, NAYPYITAW, BAGAN,

CIVIL WAR IN MYANMAR/BURMA, - ( )

SCRIBD.COM A5

2015
- ( )

ANTI-MILITARY DICTATORSHIP IN MYANMAR/BURMA 2015 - no.0877

Chinese activist Pu Zhiqiang's trial