Blogger Who Compiled Reports of Protests, Demonstrations Stands Trial in China's Yunnan
Chinese citizen journalist who meticulously recorded details of public protests and other 'mass incidents' stood trial on Friday at a court in the southwestern province of Yunnan on public order charges, sources said. Lu Yuyu, who founded the blog "Not the News," was detained alongside his girlfriend Li Tingyu on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble" by police in Yunnan's mountain resort of Dali in June 2016.
Lu, who recently refused food and water in protest at alleged mistreatment in a police-run detention center, stands accused of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," in connection with his work publicizing protests in China. But rights activist Huang Yongxiang, who has previously been in contact with Li Tingyu's family, said he is unlikely to get a fair trial. "These sorts of trials are really just for show," Huang said. "Neither of them has committed any crime; it's just a form of political persecution."
