Updated

The wife of a Taiwanese pro-democracy activist detained since March in China and accused of endangering national security says Chinese authorities may soon put her husband on trial.

Lee Ching-yu told reporters she received a call Wednesday from a man who described himself as her husband Lee Ming-che's lawyer, saying the activist's case was set to go on trial at a court in central Hunan province.

Calls to the court and lawyer rang unanswered Wednesday.

Lee Ching-yu says it was the first word she has directly received news about her husband's case since he disappeared 172 days ago into Chinese detention.

The activist had previously conducted online lectures on Taiwan's democratization and managed a fund for families of political prisoners in China.