Chinese human rights lawyer trial ends with no verdict announced, sparking anger among activist groups

The trial of a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer for subversion ended on Wednesday with no verdict announced, sparking outrage among human rights groups.

Wang Quanzhang, who handled allegations of police torture and defended followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement, went missing in mid 2015 amid a crackdown on human rights activists.

Most cases from the crackdown are concluded, but Wang has remained silent for more than 1,000 days and his case has garnered international attention.

Investigators accused him of being influenced by “anti-China forces”, being trained by overseas groups and accepting their funding, according to Reuters.

Non-Chinese journalists, Western diplomats and Wang supporters were kept out of the heavily-guarded court in Tianjin during the trial. So too, were Wang’s family.

The trial was closed, according to the court, because the case involved state secrets, and the verdict would be released at a later date.

Rights group Amnesty International called Wang's trial a “cruel charade”.

“This is a sham trial in which Wang Quanzhang is being persecuted only for peacefully defending human rights,” said Doriane Lau, Amnesty China researcher.

Neither the court nor China’s State Security Ministry were available for comment.

President Xi Jinping has moved to silence dissenting voices since gaining power six years ago, detaining hundreds of rights lawyers and activists.

Wang’s indictment says he worked with foreign activists to “train hostile forces”, and claims he gave investigative reports on China to outsiders.

It also claims he distorted facts in his online statements about the case of a policeman who killed a man in 2014, and of so-called cults he had defended.