Chinese farmer who praised lawyers during crackdown on trial Beijing Phone calls Chinese Xi Jinping Hebei

A prominent Chinese pig farmer who was detained after praising lawyers during a crackdown on legal activists by President Xi Jinping's government went on trial Thursday on charges including fighting with police and organizing a protest, defense lawyers said. Sun Dawu, chairman of Dawu Agriculture Group, is among 20 defendants on trial in Gaobeidian, southwest of Beijing in Hebei province. They were detained after Dawu employees in August 2020 tried to stop a state-owned enterprise from demolishing a company building. Sun said he is innocent, according to a written statement by defense lawyers. It said there were "great disputes" between…