A Chinese anti-corruption campaigner went on trial in Beijing on Thursday, his lawyer said, joining two others who appeared in court this week as China's government cracks down on activists.

Zhao Changqing, 45, faces a possible five year prison sentence for supporting activists who unveiled banners in Beijing calling for government officials to disclose their assets -- despite not being present, his lawyer Zhang Peihong said.

Zhao is associated with the New Citizens Movement, a loose-knit network of campaigners against corruption, among other issues. China jailed a founder of the movement in January, and more than 10 other members have been tried.

Zhao pleaded not guilty to a charge of "gathering a crowd to disrupt public order" for his alleged involvement in three small-scale protests in Beijing, which saw activists unfurl banners, Zhang said.

"(Zhao) didn't disturb public order in any way, he didn't even appear on the scene of the protests, because he was worried about his family," he said, adding that the hearing lasted around three hours.

Fellow anti-graft activists Ding Jiaxi and Li Wei were also put on trial this week over the protests.

China's ruling Communist Party is in the midst of a highly-publicised anti-corruption campaign, which President Xi Jinping has pledged will target both high-ranking "tigers" and low-level "flies" in the face of public anger over the issue.

But the party has cracked down harshly on independent activists who have the same goals, viewing independently organised anti-corruption protests as a challenge to its rule.

Zhao was previously jailed for his role as a leader during the 1989 pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square, and has served more than eight years in jail for his continued political campaigning.

A court in Beijing sentenced Xu Zhiyong, a legal campaigner and a founder of the New Citizens Movement, to four years in prison in January for his role in the protests.

The verdict was condemned by the US and the European Union. Xu's lawyers said the trial was subject to political interference, and appealed, with a court set to announce its decision on Friday.

Chinese official committed suicide in his office: report
Beijing (AFP) April 10, 2014 - A senior Chinese official killed himself in his Beijing office this week, reports said Thursday, in the latest mysterious suicide of a ruling Communist Party cadre.

Xu Ye'an was deputy chief of China's State Bureau for Letters and Calls, the agency that fields grievances from citizens over injustices or disputes such as illegal land grabs or police misconduct.

According to the respected magazine Caixin, Xu was discovered to have killed himself in his office on Tuesday morning, although the details surrounding his death remain unclear.

"It is learnt that Xu is not in good health lately and was suffering from tinnitus over the past few months," Caixin reported, citing a person close to the Bureau for Letters and Calls. "He was always in a bad mood, although the exact reason is not clear."

The 58-year-old Xu had been deputy chief of the bureau since 2011.

Under a system dating from imperial times, Chinese people can "petition" government authorities at various levels.

Millions do so each year, but many complain of official indifference to their concerns and those from the provinces will sometimes travel to Beijing to lodge their grievances with national authorities.

Local officials often work to prevent complaints being lodged against them in the capital to preserve their area's image and their own career prospects.

Xu's death comes after the Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily reported on its English-language Twitter feed that Li Wufeng, deputy director of China's government information department, "fell to death".

"Cause is unknown", it added, without elaborating.

Caixin also reported on Li's death, although a posting on its website was soon deleted.

Last week Zhou Yu, a senior police official in the mega-city of Chongqing, apparently committed suicide.

Zhou, a key figure in disgraced Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai's crackdown on organised crime, was found hanging in a hotel room, according to local police.

A police investigation found that Zhou had been depressed due to poor health, and his body was cremated on Monday, reports said.