China Delays Trial of Rights Activist; POLS 366

A Chinese court postponed the trial of a rights activist charged with the illegal possession of state secrets after he helped parents of children killed in last year's Sichuan earthquake. Huang Qi, 45, has been openly critical of the Communist Party's restrictions on political rights, and he currently finds himself in jail for these beliefs. The problem now is that Beijing's anixiety about civil unrest is only intensified. With the current downturn in the economy and anniversaries of both the Tibetan uprising and Tiananmen Square incident, the Chinese government is worried about the possibilty of citizens becoming unruly and wanting to overthrow the system. This case highlights not only China's censorship of its people, but also the nation's poor record with human rights.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020201094.html