CHINA'S TOP DISSIDENT GOES ON TRIAL

Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng will go on trial in a Beijing court Wednesday on charges of sedition. Wei, who served 15 years in prison for his involvement in the 1978 "democracy wall" movement, disappeared under police custody 20 months ago after continuing to speak out against the government. The trial has drawn heavy criticism from human rights groups and the United States, which has called for Wei's immediate release. But no Western government has threatened sanctions or political reprisals. Beijing bureau chief Jaime FlorCruz reports that Wei will likely be found guilty by the court and given immediate exile, possibly to the U.S. or Germany: "This is the most plausible explanation. Otherwise, why drag out Wei now, and face worldwide flak, when the Chinese government has been able to get away with detaining him without trial for one and a half years?"