FILE – In this July 17, 2009 file photo, legal scholar Xu Zhiyong, is seen at a meeting in Beijing, China. Xu, one of China’s most well-known civil rights advocates, has been formally arrested on charges of disrupting public order, as Beijing cracks down on grassroots efforts to build a civil society that may challenge its rule. Xu, a founder of the loosely organized New Citizens group, has called for people to hold monthly dinners to discuss China’s constitution and other issues. Several citizen activists who want to hold public officials to account and champion the underprivileged stand trial this week in Beijing in cases reflecting an intense campaign under leader Xi Jinping to quash any potential threat to China’s one-party rule. (AP Photo/Greg Baker, File)

