A Chinese lawyer who specializes in helping Shanghai residents fight eviction from properties being developed as the city expands and modernizes has pleaded not guilty to revealing state secrets.
Zheng Enchong (鄭恩寵) appeared on Thursday before a closed-door trial charged with "illegally providing state secrets to entities outside of China," his wife, Jiang Meili, said.
The 53-year-old lawyer had helped families in more than 500 cases involving Shanghai urban development projects and also launched a suit against a firm run by Zhou Zhengyi (周正毅), a flamboyant snack-shop owner turned property tycoon who is now being investigated for corruption.
A Shanghai city official confirmed yesterday the hearing had taken place, but declined make any further comment when prompted. The hearing will resume in eight days.
It was not immediately clear what the state secrets were, but state secrets can cover a wide range of official information, and those found guilty of leaking classified material can face the death penalty.
"He entered a plea of not guilty and is confident of winning," Zheng's wife said.
Zheng's trial is the latest development in a scandal that surfaced after incensed residents accused Zhou of colluding with city officials and of getting a 43,000m2 plot of prime real estate.
Chinese newspapers have reported that Zhou is now under house arrest, but authorities have not confirmed his whereabouts or any detention.
Zhou has been dubbed Shanghai's wealthiest man and is believed to be China's 11th richest individual.
Zheng's trial has served as a rallying point for scores of disgruntled residents who have lost their homes as Shanghai develops.
On Thursday, hundreds of residents who tried to enter the city's Second Intermediate People's Court to attend Zheng's trial were stopped by police, witnesses said.
"The police took all of us into a nearby high school and jotted down our particulars before telling us to leave," one woman said by telephone.
US-based Human Rights in China condemned the trial.
"If justice is not seen to be done ... how will anyone else be willing to take a stand against corruption?" the group's president, Liu Qing, said in a statement.
Zheng's trial comes a week after the loss of a lawsuit launched against city authorities by a group of Shanghai residents who had been evicted from their homes.
The Shanghai Housing and Land Administration Bureau, responding to a growing number of complaints about its policies, says it will introduce new regulations to strive for greater transparency.
Zheng was originally detained on June 6 this year on accusations of stealing state secrets after assisting displaced families in more than 500 cases relating to Shanghai's urban redevelopment projects. His license was revoked in 2001.
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