Bo Xilai Combative in Trial Marked by Uncharacteristic Openness of Chinese Government

For months, many in China and abroad had assumed that the prosecution of disgraced Communist Party leader Bo Xilai would be a mere show trial —predictably scripted, with a predetermined guilty verdict. What they got Thursday, the opening day of the trial, was a show indeed.

For the first time in China's legal history, the trial was relayed online with remarkable openness by the government, which posted updates, photos and transcripts on a live blog throughout the day. But it was Bo's unexpectedly vigorous defense — disavowing an earlier confession to bribery and verbally attacking his accusers — that drew the most attention.

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