The trial of another Chinese activist was adjourned Thursday after he fired his lawyer in court, a source close to the case confirmed to the Global Times.

Zhao Changqing stood trial at the Beijing Haidian district court on Thursday following the Wednesday trial of Xu Zhiyong, a well-known lawyer and co-founder of the Open Constitution Initiative, or Gongmeng, a non-profit legal aid organization which provided aid for families affected by the tainted milk powder scandal of 2008.

Zhao has called for public disclosure of officials' assets, and is charged with "gathering a crowd to disturb public order," said the source on condition of anonymity.

The source said the dismissal of Zhao's lawyer, Zhang Xuezhong, halted the trial almost immediately.

Zhang is an outspoken legal scholar and was previously a professor with the Shanghai-based East China University of Political Science and Law. The university decided not to renew his teaching contract in December 2013 because he breached school regulations.

According to a notice from the university, Zhang had expressed political opinions that go against the law and was suspended from teaching in August last year. The notice also said that Zhang compiled his opinions into a pamphlet titled New Common Sense and spread his political opinion among students and teachers, adding that Zhang's behavior violated professional ethics.

Global Times