Reiterating its call for the immediate and unconditional release of activist Hu Jia, Reporters Without Borders today urged the international community to keep up the pressure in order to prevent him being tried on a charge of inciting subversion of state authority.

"Everything indicates that the authorities plan to begin Hu's trial very soon although no guarantees of fairness or transparency have been given," the press freedom organisation said. "The recent abduction of one of his friends, lawyer Teng Biao, is an especially disturbing sign. If the trial nonetheless goes ahead, diplomats and journalists must be free to attend it."

One of Hu's lawyers, Li Fangping, was told on 7 March that the subversion charge against Hu had been registered by the Beijing prosecutor's office. The evidence file submitted by the political police reportedly weighed more than 4 kilos. The Beijing people's intermediate court No. 1 could begin his trial soon, one that could end with him getting a long prison sentence.

The police investigation has reportedly concentrated on articles by Hu that were posted online, especially on the overseas Chinese-run website Boxun, and some of his statements to the foreign press about the Olympic Games. "It is just a matter of time," Li Fangping said.

Hu's other lawyer, Li Jingsong, told Radio Free Asia the trial could start this week and that the hearings could be open to the public because the authorities have not so far ruled that the case involves state secrets.

Human rights lawyer Teng Biao was released by the authorities on 8 March after being held and interrogated in complete secrecy for two days. A close friend and supporter of Hu and his wife, Zeng Jinyan, he was arrested by police on the evening of 6 March and was bundled into an official car with a bag over his dead. "This is all I can tell you for the moment, it would not be appropriate to say any more," he said.

Another lawyer, Li Heping, was attacked by public security officers at he was driving his son to school in Beijing on the morning of 7 March. The police car that had been following him from his home deliberately drove into the back of his car. As a result, he has been suffering back pains. Li, who is under permanent police surveillance, was kidnapped and beaten on 29 September, and was warned against continuing to support Hu Jia.

Chinese Activist to Be Tried Soon

By AUDRA ANG

BEIJING (AP) �� An outspoken Chinese civil rights activist who dedicated himself to chronicling the plight of other dissidents will be tried soon on a subversion charge, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Prosecutors have charged Hu Jia with inciting subversion of state power and sent his case to the Beijing No. 1 People's Intermediate Court this week, said Li Fangping, one of Hu's lawyers.

Li said the indictment cited comments Hu made during interviews with foreign media and articles he wrote that were posted on Boxun.com, an overseas-hosted Chinese-language Web site banned in China.

The North Carolina-based Boxun carries reports and essays on a wide range of issues rarely seen in the Chinese state media, from corruption cases to calls for greater democracy.

The indictment did not give specific details, Li said, but Hu has for years been vocal in his criticism about China's human rights record.

Beijing regularly uses the nebulous subversion charge to imprison dissidents for years.

"The prosecutor thinks Hu Jia committed a crime. But there's a huge difference in our understanding of the case," Li said.

While no date has been set, the trial is likely to start "very soon," he said. Lawyers will be given three days notice before the trial, Li said.

Hu, an impassioned AIDS and environmental activist, had been confined to his Beijing apartment in a complex called "Freedom City" for more than 200 days when he was taken away by security agents on Dec. 27.

During that time, Hu and his wife, fellow activist Zeng Jinyan, were watched around the clock by plainclothed agents who camped out under the window of their fourth-floor home, playing cards and napping. They would sometimes surround Zeng and dog her steps when she left the apartment for work �� all of which was caught on video by Hu, who later made a short film titled "Prisoners in Freedom City."

Hu, 34, also blogged almost daily and sent out e-mails and text messages detailing the arrests, harassment and detention of other activists to a network of dissidents, reporters and diplomats in China.

Hu's case has gained international attention, with American and European officials calling for his release, and the Chinese government is extremely sensitive about it.

Teng Biao, a civil rights lawyer closely associated with Hu, went missing for 40 hours last week after being taken away by unidentified men in an unmarked car, a common way state security agents operate.

Teng, 34, said after his release that police warned him not to speak to the media about his time in custody.

In September, Teng co-authored an essay with Hu criticizing China's human rights lapses in the run-up to the Aug. 8-24 Beijing Olympics.