Human Rights in China (HRIC) has learned from sources in China that rights defender Guo Feixiong (also known as Yang Maodong) will go on trial on June 15 in Guangzhou's Tianhe District Court.

Since being taken into formal detention, he has told his lawyer that he has been subjected to severe physical abuse and round-the-clock interrogation.

Guo Feixiong, who provided legal advice in a number of controversial rights defense cases, was detained on September 14, 2006, and formally arrested on September 30, 2006, on suspicion of "illegal business activity" in connection with editing a book published in Liaoning Province regarding a political scandal in Shenyang City.The Guangzhou PSB referred the case to Guangzhou's Tianhe District Procuratorate, but the case was sent back on January 19, 2007, for supplemental investigation. On January 20, the case was transferred to the authorities in Liaoning Province. The case was referred again to the Tianhe District Procuratorate on February 17, but the procuratorate sent it back once more to the Guangzhou Municipal PSB on March 1 for another round of supplemental investigation. Guo was formally indicted on May 15, the last day on which a prosecution could be initiated against him.

Guo Feixiong was detained and beaten on a number of occasions in 2005 and 2006 before he was formally arrested. Since being taken into formal detention, he has told his lawyer that he has been subjected to severe physical abuse and round-the-clock interrogation, and he has reportedly gone on hunger strike for a total of 40 days in protest against his treatment.