Global outrage as secret trial of rights activists starts in China

The trial of two prominent activists detained since 2021 has begun in secret in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, in a case that has attracted widespread attention to Beijing's repression of civil society.

- Amy Hawkins

Huang Xueqin, a feminist activist and journalist who covered China's #MeToo movement, and Wang Jianbing, a labour rights activist, were detained in Guangzhou in September 2021, shortly before Huang was due to move to the UK to study at the University of Sussex.

The pair were charged with "inciting subversion of state power" the following month. The charge normally carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, although terms can be longer in cases deemed severe.

The roads around the courthouses appeared to be closed to public access, supporters said yesterday morning. The pair have been held largely incommunicado. Advocates say they have been subjected to secret interrogations, torture and ill-treatment.

In the weeks after their detention, Guangzhou police interrogated nearly 70 of their acquaintances, according to the US-based Chinese Human Rights Defenders group. Several of those people were later forced to leave Guangzhou.