BEIJING: Prominent Chinese activist Xu Zhiyong went on trial on Wednesday over his role in anti-corruption protests but defied the court by refusing to speak, his lawyer said, calling the proceedings a “piece of theater.”

Xu, founder of the New Citizens Movement, faces a five-year jail term on charges of “assembling a crowd to disrupt order in a public place” for demonstrations featuring banners calling for asset disclosure by officials—seen as a key measure against graft.

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