‘Cyber-dissident’ set to appear in court

China’s first “cyber-dissident”, whose website reported on sensitive topics including human rights, was due to go 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 in southwestern Sichuan province without a trial date. Calls to the Mianyang Intermediate People’s Court, which is handling the case, went unanswered. “American diplomats attempted to attend Huang Qi’s trial but were denied access to the courtroom,” a US embassy spokesperson said. Several activists who said they were travelling to Mianyang to attend the trial sent photos and videos showing police stopping them yesterday morning. Mr Huang ran a website called “64 Tianwang” — named after the bloody 1989 crackdown at Tiananmen Square. The site, which has reported on local corruption, human rights violations, and other topics rarely seen in ordinary Chinese media, is blocked on the mainland. A volunteer at “64 Tianwang” said that he was taken away “on holiday” on Saturday by Sichuan police, who cited the cyber-dissident’s trial that was due to start this week. “I am worried (for his safety),” the volunteer said on condition of anonymity. “But Huangqi is very proud, he won’t surrender.” The volunteer was told he would be released once the trial was over. Mianyang police did not answer for a comment. Chinese police in recent years have muzzled dissent by whisking away activists and holding them in a hotel room during sensitive events, giving rise to the term “being travelled”.