A Chinese democracy activist went on trial in China on Wednesday, charged with espionage and terrorism.
56-year-old Wang Bingzhang was arrested in southern China in December, having disappeared in Vietnam for the previous six months.
US human rights group, Free China Movement (FCM) has accused Chinese agents of kidnapping Wang and bringing him to China to lay "false charges".
The trial ended after half a day without a verdict, according to his lawyer. The veteran dissident, who is a permanent resident of the United States, had been expected to plead not guilty, the BBC reported.
The international director of FCM, Timothy Cooper, on his part, said Wang was likely to be convicted, and to face a sentence of up to twenty years.
According to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, Wang has engaged in "violent terrorist activities" and has been paid by Taiwan's espionage organizations to collect "state secrets".
The news agency further said the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court in Guangdong province, where the trial was held, would give its verdict at a later date.
The hearing was closed to the public because Wang's trial related to state secrets, the agency added. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
