Chinese village chief at centre of land grab protests to stand trial this week on corruption charges
Lin Zuluan’s family says charges are politically motivated; villagers warned to stop daily marches calling for his release
Villagers in Wukan in Guangdong province are stepping up their demonstrations as their leader, Lin Zuluan, was set to stand trial for corruption on Thursday.
Wukan made headlines around the world five years ago after staging a series of defiant protests against land seizures.
Local authorities have warned villagers, who have staged marches for 79 days calling for Lin’s release, to stop protesting.
Upon hearing the news that Lin would stand trial in Foshan this morning, Wukan villagers posted a notice announcing their plan to step up their marching efforts.
A photo of the notice was posted online. It read: “It is a unanimous move of the entire village body to launch mass demonstrations twice a day at 9.30am and 4.30pm from September 8th to September 11th.”
“All of Wukan’s fisheries, shops, markets and construction projects will be suspended[during the period].”
Villagers have marched around Wukan’s perimeter almost every afternoon since Lin’s arrest, chanting slogans and waving banners calling for his release.
