A lawyer for the Chinese dissident behind a website documenting alleged rights abuses says the activist will be tried for leaking state secrets on June 20.

Huang Qi, 55, was arrested in November 2016. Huang's attorney, Liu Zhengqing, confirmed his trial date on Friday and said he's charged with "illegally providing state secrets abroad."

Huang has been jailed twice before, including in 2008 after advocating for parents whose children were killed in the Sichuan earthquake.

In 1998, Huang founded the 64 Tianwang Human Rights Center and its accompanying website to chronicle the stories of those alleging abuses by authorities. Reporters Without Borders has awarded Huang its Cyberfreedom Prize.

Huang's mother said in a letter earlier this week that she feared for her son's ailing health.