CHINA:A Chinese court has jailed the editor of an online news site for six years for inciting subversion by publishing anti-government essays, the latest case in a government crackdown on cyber-dissidents.
Zhang Jianhong, better known by the pen-name of Li Hong, was sentenced yesterday by a court in Ningbo, in the eastern province of Zhejiang. He has appealed the sentence.
A founder of the literary website Aiqinghai.net, Zhang (48) also contributed to overseas sites such as Boxun and Epoch Times. He was detained last September and his site shut down.
The Xinhua news agency, citing a court document, said Zhang had slandered the government and China's social system in more than 60 articles published on overseas websites. It said the court had showed leniency towards him because he showed remorse after his arrest. "This verdict is sadly yet another example of the judicial system being used by the political authorities," Paris-based rights group Reporters Without Borders said.
Zhang was involved with the 1989 pro-democracy movement and spent 18 months in a re-education-through-labour camp for writing "counter-revolutionary propaganda", the rights group said.
The Chinese government keeps a tight rein on the internet and cracks down on dissenting opinions posted. Dozens of cyber-dissidents have been detained in recent months. Two other writers, Chen Shuqing and Yang Maodong, were arrested six months ago and are still awaiting trial. Reporters Without Borders estimates that there are some 50 online activists in prison.
"It is outrageous that cyber-dissidents get severe prison sentences just for the views they express. Yet again, they are being made to pay a heavy price for their commitment. After Zhang's conviction, we fear the same fate is in store for Chen and Yang," it said.
Meanwhile, a top university has fired a dean after he complained about being sidelined for a blog rant about China's higher education woes. Zhang Ming, dean of political sciences at Renmin university, posted articles detailing a row with his superior and attacking bureaucracy in Chinese colleges.