China’s first ‘cyberdissident’ faces trial

BEIJING: China’s first “cyberdissident”, whose website reported on sensitive topics including human rights, went on trial yesterday amid fears he is in bad health, sources familiar with the matter said. Huang Qi was arrested in 2016 for “leaking state secrets” and has since been held at the Mianyang Detention Centre without a trial date. “American diplomats attempted to attend Huang Qi’s trial but were denied access to the courtroom,” a US embassy spokesman said.