Beijing, China - A Chinese court plans to put an American follower of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement on trial this month following accusations he sabotaged television and radio waves, the U.S. embassy said on Wednesday.
Charles Li, also known as Chuck Lee, from Menlo Park, California, would be tried in the eastern province of Jiangsu on March 21, an embassy spokeswoman said.
"I don't know what the formal charges are. The reason he was detained was that they said he interfered with television and radio broadcasting," she said.
China branded Falun Gong an "evil cult" in 1999 after thousands of followers shocked the government with a mass protest around the Beijing leadership compound near Tiananmen Square demanding official recognition of their faith.
The group combines a mixture of Taoism, Buddhism, traditional Chinese breathing exercises and the ideas of its founder, Li Hongzhi.
More than 20 members of the banned group have been tried and sentenced on charges of hijacking television signals around China. At times, Falun Gong material has been broadcast over hijacked signals.
Li was detained in the southern city of Guangzhou on January 22 and then transferred to Yangzhou, where the incident took place, the embassy spokeswoman said.
A consular official from Shanghai had visited Li on January 28 and February 27, saying he appeared to be in good health.
U.S. officials have been in contact with the Chinese authorities to follow the progress of the legal proceedings and to ensure his welfare, the spokeswoman said.