Ding Jiaxi and Li Wei are both members of the New Citizens Movement, which has asked government officials to disclose their assets. They are accused of "having summoned a mob to disturb public order". Lawyer: "They are innocent, but a nuisance to leaders".

Beijing ( AsiaNews / Agencies) - The trial against Ding Jiaxi and Li Wei opened this morning in Haidian District Court in Beijing. The two members of the New Citizens Movement are charged with  having summoned a mob to disturb public order".  The activists have been engaged in a public campaign to ask China's leaders to disclose their assets. The Movement's leader, Xu Zhiyong, was sentenced in January 2014 to 4 years in jail, other members of the group are in police custody.

The trial against Ding and Li was supposed to have begun three months ago, but both rejected the court appointed defense lawyers to stay procedures. Several police cordons were deployed before Court to prevent access to the public (see photo) : Journalists were not allowed inside and the supporters of the two prisoners were removed by police.

Li's lawyer Yuanmin Jiang said his client has not committed any crime: "People like Ding Jiaxi and Li Wei, they just want government officials to report their assets," he said. "This goes against the interests of a vast majority of officials. So the government is afraid".

The long series of trials against members of the Movement shows that the anti-corruption campaign launched by President Xi Jinping will not involve the population but remain a mere tool in the hands of the Party and the government. Several civil rights groups have criticized the national leader for this repression, which  - they say - "demonstrates that the government still will not tolerate any form of organized opposition".

 

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