Chinese Olympics Critic Goes on Trial for Subversion

BEIJING — A Chinese activist whose petition against illegal land seizures said, "We want human rights, not the Olympics," has gone on trial for inciting subversion. Yang Chunlin is one of many activists around China who claim that their farmland has been expropriated illegally for development. But his petition, which gained 10,000 signatures in his hometown near Jiamusi in the northeast of the country, linked the abuse of his rights to the Beijing games, a showpiece for the government.

While many overseas campaign groups have used the Olympics to press for change in government policy over issues from relations with Sudan to human rights, few Chinese have done the same. Many support the games as a force for change or think that attacking them would tarnish their cause. Mr. Yang's case has been taken up by lawyers and some civil rights groups, which argue that his words could not justify a charge such as subversion, usually employed against political dissidents. The lawyer who represented him, Li Fanping, said yesterday that Mr. Yang had been taken to court in handcuffs and leg irons on Tuesday. After Mr. Li complained, the leg irons were removed, but he was chained to a chair.

The court held a five-hour hearing but will not deliver a verdict for two weeks. It is normal in sensitive cases for judges to seek political guidance.

Human Rights Watch claimed that he had been allowed out of his cell once a month in the eight months since his arrest, had been given only one day's notice of his trial, and had no pencil and paper to prepare a defense.

"The Chinese government must recognize that the games will only be truly successful if the perception is that China has kept its word about better respecting human rights," a spokeswoman, Sophie Richardson, said. "Throwing out the case against Yang Chunlin would be a good place to start."