BEIJING (AP) — The founder of a grassroots movement to boost accountability for Chinese officials went on trial Wednesday on charges of disrupting public order but didn’t utter a word during the six-hour, closed-door proceedings to protest what he considers an unjust case, his lawyer said.

The trial of legal scholar and New Citizens founder Xu Zhiyong reflects the determination of the government led by Xi Jinping to quash the loosely knit activists before they can challenge Communist Party rule, even though their goals largely overlap with the party’s stated drive to root out corruption and build a fairer society.