The trial of two prominent Chinese rights activists who have been in detention since 2021 are due to begin and they are reportedly expected to appear before a judge in a closed-door hearing, on Friday (September 22). The case has attracted widespread attention to Beijing’s effort to dismantle and repress what remains of the country’s civil society.

The trial is being held for independent journalist and rights activist Huang Xueqin who covered China’s #MeToo movement and labour rights activist Wang Jianbing. Both were&nbsp;detained by Chinese authorities in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in September 2021.&nbsp;

The detention also came shortly before Huang was due to move to the United Kingdom to study.&nbsp;

<h2>What has the duo been accused of?</h2>

A month after their detention, they were charged with “inciting subversion of state power” which typically carries a sentence of up to five years but can be raised if the case is deemed severe. Huang and Wang, according to their supporters will be tried at the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court, reported CNN.&nbsp;

The roads around the courthouses appeared to be closed to public access on Friday morning, said a report by the Guardian, citing their supporters.&nbsp;

Huang who also covered the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong in 2019 as a journalist was later detained in Guangzhou and prevented from attending the postgraduate programme at the University of Hong Kong.

Huang was released in 2020 and awarded the Chevening scholarship by the British Foreign Office in 2021, and was set to attend the University of Sussex for her master’s degree in autumn.&nbsp;

The UK-based university said that they remain “deeply concerned” about her “safety and her wellbeing” and “consistently raised her case in meetings with the UK government and in correspondence with the British embassy in China.”

<h2>A ‘complete sham’</h2>

Huang and Wang reportedly organised weekly meetings at the latter’s apartment for like-minded progressives, to discuss issues such as feminism, LGBTQ+ rights and labour issues, but also to watch films and play board games.

According to the United States-based, Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), nearly 70 of their acquaintances have been interrogated by the police, several of them even reportedly forced to leave Guangzhou.

“They were trying to rebuild a network, to bring together every isolated individual,” said a report by the Guardian citing a friend, who regularly attended what was described as casual meetings. “We never thought that this was dangerous, or even offensive to the government,” they added. &nbsp;

The pair has also held largely incommunicado while advocates have claimed that they have been subjected to secret interrogations, torture and ill-treatment. &nbsp;

“We don’t know for sure what the substance of the Chinese government’s case against Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing is, but we can be certain that the process will be a complete sham,” said William Nee, a research and advocacy coordinator at CHRD, as quoted by CNN.&nbsp;

He added, “Huang has not seen a lawyer of her choice in two years of detention. They were both reportedly subjected to prolonged interrogations and police frequently would wake Huang up in the middle of the night and start interrogations.”

On Thursday, dozens of civil society groups, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), released a joint statement calling for the duo’s “immediate and unconditional” release. 
 
&nbsp;

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The trial of two prominent Chinese rights activists who have been in detention since 2021 are due to begin and they are reportedly expected to appear before a judge in a closed-door hearing, on Friday (September 22).

The trial of two prominent Chinese rights activists who have been in detention since 2021 are due to begin and they are reportedly expected to appear before a judge in a closed-door hearing, on Friday (September 22). The case has attracted widespread attention to Beijing’s effort to dismantle and repress what remains of the country’s civil society. The trial is being held for independent journalist and rights activist Huang Xueqin who covered China’s #MeToo movement and labour rights activist Wang Jianbing. Both were detained by Chinese authorities in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in September 2021. The detention also came shortly before Huang was due to move to the United Kingdom to study. What has the duo been accused of? A month after their detention, they were charged with “inciting subversion of state power” which typically carries a sentence of up to five years but can be raised if the case is deemed severe. Huang and Wang, according to their supporters will be tried at the Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court, reported CNN. The roads around the courthouses appeared to be closed to public access on Friday morning, said a report by the Guardian, citing their supporters. Huang who also covered the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong in 2019 as a journalist was later detained in Guangzhou and prevented from attending the postgraduate programme at the University of Hong Kong. Huang was released in 2020 and awarded the Chevening scholarship by the British Foreign Office in 2021, and was set to attend the University of Sussex for her master’s degree in autumn. The UK-based university said that they remain “deeply concerned” about her “safety and her wellbeing” and “consistently raised her case in meetings with the UK government and in correspondence with the British embassy in China.” A ‘complete sham’ Huang and Wang reportedly organised weekly meetings at the latter’s apartment for like-minded progressives, to discuss issues such as feminism, LGBTQ+ rights and labour issues, but also to watch films and play board games. According to the United States-based, Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), nearly 70 of their acquaintances have been interrogated by the police, several of them even reportedly forced to leave Guangzhou. “They were trying to rebuild a network, to bring together every isolated individual,” said a report by the Guardian citing a friend, who regularly attended what was described as casual meetings. “We never thought that this was dangerous, or even offensive to the government,” they added. The pair has also held largely incommunicado while advocates have claimed that they have been subjected to secret interrogations, torture and ill-treatment. “We don’t know for sure what the substance of the Chinese government’s case against Huang Xueqin and Wang Jianbing is, but we can be certain that the process will be a complete sham,” said William Nee, a research and advocacy coordinator at CHRD, as quoted by CNN. He added, “Huang has not seen a lawyer of her choice in two years of detention. They were both reportedly subjected to prolonged interrogations and police frequently would wake Huang up in the middle of the night and start interrogations.” On Thursday, dozens of civil society groups, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), released a joint statement calling for the duo’s “immediate and unconditional” release. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

China: Secret trials of #MeToo journalist and labour rights activist begin in Guangzhou

Louisiana police have shot and killed a black man selling CDs outside a convenience store, triggering protests over the latest in a string of cases of alleged police brutality against black suspects. 
 
A video shot by a witness and circulated online showed two officers ordering a tall black man to the ground early Tuesday. 
 
As he remained standing, the officers wrestled him onto the roof of a car and then to the ground. While he was pinned down by the officers, one pulled a gun and shot him four times at close range. 
 
&quot;They shot him? Oh my fucking goodness!&quot; a witness can be heard as exclaiming in the background of the video. 
 
At least one woman can be heard wailing and repeating &quot;Oh my God!&quot; 
 
Police in the state&#39;s capital Baton Rouge identified the man as Alton Sterling, 37, saying two officers &quot;made contact&quot; with him in the parking lot of the convenience store. 
 
The shooting took place at 12:35 am (0435 GMT) Tuesday after police received a tip from an anonymous caller saying they had been threatened by a man with a gun, according to a police statement. 
 
&quot;An altercation between Sterling and the officers ensued. Sterling was shot during the altercation and died at the scene,&quot; police said on Facebook. 
 
They said that in accordance with &quot;standard procedure,&quot; the two officers involved in the shooting had been placed on administrative leave during the ongoing investigation. 
 
The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner&#39;s Office said Sterling was killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back, WAFB television reported. 
 
News reports said the officers were wearing body cameras, which police said fell off during the confrontation. 
 
However, in addition to the witness video, the shooting was captured by the store&#39;s surveillance camera and at least one patrol car dashboard camera, state representative C. Denise Marcelle told news media after being briefed by the police chief. 
 
About 100 people, including friends and relatives of Sterling, protested outside the convenience store after shooting, some blocking roads, The Advocate newspaper reported. 
 
Holding up handmade signs, they chanted: &quot;Black lives matter&quot; and &quot;Hands up, don&#39;t shoot.&quot; 
 
&quot;Justice for Alton&quot; and &quot;Justice 4 CD Man&quot; read some of the signs. 
 
&quot;What I said to the (police) chief is he has to have transparency in this matter because as you can see, this is getting out of hand. People are clearly upset and they want transparency,&quot; Marcelle said. 
 
&#39;Legal lynching&#39; 
 
Edmond Jordan, an attorney representing Sterling&#39;s family, said the shooting was completely unjustified. 
 
&quot;That police officer fired two shots and he seemed to pause for a while and shot him two more times. I don&#39;t think any of those shots were justified, but I&#39;m curious as to why he paused for such a long time and then fired two more times,&quot; he told CNN. 
 
Jordan, who is also a state legislator, added that Sterling was selling CDs with the permission of the convenience store owner. 
 
Triple S store owner Abdullah Muflahi told The Advocate that he witnessed police retrieving a gun from Sterling&#39;s pocket after the shooting, although Sterling did not hold a weapon during the altercation. 
 
&quot;They were really aggressive with him from the start,&quot; Muflahi said about the police officers, adding that they were &quot;freaking out&quot; after the incident. 
 
Muflahi said he heard one of the officers say: &quot;Just leave him.&quot; 
 
Civil rights group Black Lives Matter, which was referenced by many protesters in Louisiana, tweeted: &quot;Enough is enough. #AltonSterling.&quot; 
 
African American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson also expressed outrage over the shooting today. 
 
&quot;The shooting of #AltonSterling in #BatonRouge is a legal lynching. Justice must prevail. #Outraged,&quot; Jackson wrote on Twitter. 
 
(AFP)

The shooting took place after police were tipped off by an anonymous caller saying they had been threatened by a man with a gun

Louisiana police have shot and killed a black man selling CDs outside a convenience store, triggering protests over the latest in a string of cases of alleged police brutality against black suspects. A video shot by a witness and circulated online showed two officers ordering a tall black man to the ground early Tuesday. As he remained standing, the officers wrestled him onto the roof of a car and then to the ground. While he was pinned down by the officers, one pulled a gun and shot him four times at close range. "They shot him? Oh my fucking goodness!" a witness can be heard as exclaiming in the background of the video. At least one woman can be heard wailing and repeating "Oh my God!" Police in the state's capital Baton Rouge identified the man as Alton Sterling, 37, saying two officers "made contact" with him in the parking lot of the convenience store. The shooting took place at 12:35 am (0435 GMT) Tuesday after police received a tip from an anonymous caller saying they had been threatened by a man with a gun, according to a police statement. "An altercation between Sterling and the officers ensued. Sterling was shot during the altercation and died at the scene," police said on Facebook. They said that in accordance with "standard procedure," the two officers involved in the shooting had been placed on administrative leave during the ongoing investigation. The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office said Sterling was killed by multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and back, WAFB television reported. News reports said the officers were wearing body cameras, which police said fell off during the confrontation. However, in addition to the witness video, the shooting was captured by the store's surveillance camera and at least one patrol car dashboard camera, state representative C. Denise Marcelle told news media after being briefed by the police chief. About 100 people, including friends and relatives of Sterling, protested outside the convenience store after shooting, some blocking roads, The Advocate newspaper reported. Holding up handmade signs, they chanted: "Black lives matter" and "Hands up, don't shoot." "Justice for Alton" and "Justice 4 CD Man" read some of the signs. "What I said to the (police) chief is he has to have transparency in this matter because as you can see, this is getting out of hand. People are clearly upset and they want transparency," Marcelle said. 'Legal lynching' Edmond Jordan, an attorney representing Sterling's family, said the shooting was completely unjustified. "That police officer fired two shots and he seemed to pause for a while and shot him two more times. I don't think any of those shots were justified, but I'm curious as to why he paused for such a long time and then fired two more times," he told CNN. Jordan, who is also a state legislator, added that Sterling was selling CDs with the permission of the convenience store owner. Triple S store owner Abdullah Muflahi told The Advocate that he witnessed police retrieving a gun from Sterling's pocket after the shooting, although Sterling did not hold a weapon during the altercation. "They were really aggressive with him from the start," Muflahi said about the police officers, adding that they were "freaking out" after the incident. Muflahi said he heard one of the officers say: "Just leave him." Civil rights group Black Lives Matter, which was referenced by many protesters in Louisiana, tweeted: "Enough is enough. #AltonSterling." African American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson also expressed outrage over the shooting today. "The shooting of #AltonSterling in #BatonRouge is a legal lynching. Justice must prevail. #Outraged," Jackson wrote on Twitter. (AFP)

Video shows Louisiana cops holding black man down, shooting him point-blank 4 times

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China: Secret trials of #MeToo journalist and labour rights activist begin in Guangzhou

Video shows Louisiana cops holding black man down, shooting him point-blank 4 times