BEIJING ? A Chinese activist known for pushing legal issues and backing a jailed Nobel Peace prize winner went on trial Friday on a charge of "creating a disturbance," as Beijing's sweeping crackdown on dissidents continues.
Wang Lihong, 56, was expected to plead not guilty to the vaguely worded charge that stems from her participation in a demonstration outside a court in Fuzhou city in southern China in April 2010. The gathering was in support of three bloggers accused of slander after they tried to help an illiterate woman pressure authorities to reinvestigate her daughter's death.
If convicted, Wang faces up to five years in jail.
About half a dozen supporters linked arms outside the Wenyuhe People's Court on Friday in a Beijing suburb and chanted "Wang Lihong come home" and "Wang Lihong is innocent." They were surrounded by police.
Representatives from eight countries and the European Union were also on hand. They were taken into the courthouse, but were not allowed to observe the trial.
Wang was detained by Beijing police in late March during a widespread crackdown on activists as authorities moved to prevent the growth of a Middle East-style protest movement. Dissident artist Ai Weiwei, the most prominent target of the dozens detained, was recently freed from three months of detention.
Wang's son Qi Jianxiang, 26, said outside the courthouse that he had not seen his mother in four months, and asked why she was on trial in Beijing if the alleged incident happened in southern China.
Wang's lawyers Han Yicun and Liu Xiaoyuan were allowed into the court, Qi said.
Zhao Lianhai, an activist previously jailed for protesting a massive tainted milk scandal, said he eluded state security at his home and took a bus to the courthouse, adding that it was his responsibility to speak out and support Wang.
Another supporter, Tianjin bank employee Zhang Lanying, said she took a 6 a.m. train to get to the court to show her support for Wang.
"I don't know her personally but I know her story and have read her essays. I respect and admire her spirit, courage and humanity," said Zhang, who has been petitioning Tianjin authorities over the alleged illegal demolition of her home.
Public activism has surged in China in recent years, helped by the popularity of microblogs, which allow rapid dissemination of information. Bloggers have swung into action on prominent cases such as the mysterious death last Christmas of an activist village leader and a train crash near the eastern city of Wenzhou in July that killed at least 40 people.
Wang also joined a handful of activists in publicly celebrating the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo last October. "I think the most important thing is that every person learns how to be their own citizen, and not become someone else's subordinate," Wang told The Associated Press in an interview at the time.
Wang began pursuing rights issues in 2008 after retiring from a business renovating and renting out basement dwellings, her son Qi told the AP earlier this month. She took it upon herself to investigate reports of injustice that had spread on the Internet, he said.
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