Trial starts for Chinese scholar expelled from Norway

OSLO - A trial began Monday for a Chinese scholar who seeks to reverse the Norwegian government's decision of expelling him from the country early this year on the grounds that his research could be used for military purposes.

The trial will last for six working days in Oslo District Court and a decision is expected to be announced two to four weeks after the trial, Nils Anders Gronas, the Chinese scholar's lawyer, told Xinhua.

Norwegian police ordered the Chinese doctorate student, who had been working on a wind power project at the University of Agder for more than two years, and his professor, a German national of Iranian origin, to leave Norway before Jan. 23. Both of them have left the Nordic country.

The police order not only forced the Chinese scholar to leave Norway, but also made it impossible for him to enter other countries in the Schengen area, which has caused trouble for his academic work, Gronas said.

The lawyer complained that he was denied access to much of the documents in the case on national security grounds.

"One special lawyer will have access to all the documents concerning the case in the last day of the trial, but the special lawyer is not allowed to discuss the content of the documents with my client or me," Gronas said.

The Chinese scholar, who has gone back to China, is expected to appear in court via Skype on Wednesday, he added.

The trial for the Chinese scholar's professor, who faces similar accusation and is working to have the expulsion order reversed, also began on Monday in Oslo District Court.

China's Foreign Ministry has said the accusation against the Chinese scholar is groundless and called on Norway to protect the legitimate rights and the academic freedom of the scholar.