The journalist who revealed Communist Party infighting is released
Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – After three years in prison Zhao Yan, a 45 year old New York Times researcher was released this morning in China. He was arrested in 2004 and later charged with leaking state secrets. His fault: collaborating with a New York Times report about plans by ex-President Jiang Zemin to retire from his top military post, opening the way to President Hu Jintao.
His sentencing prompted condemnation from human rights groups and Western governments. The United States had repeatedly asked for his release and it was only after 2 years of prison that Zhao finally came before a judge. As a result the charge of having revealed state secrets was dropped, but in August 2006, he was charged with fraud and condemned to a further 3years. Zhao was accused with having taken 2,500 US dollars in 2001 from a state official his source. Zhao has consistently denied the charges and his lawyers have spoken of a “verdict without trial” and of a “lack of respect for penal laws”: witnesses or evidence from the defence was not permitted, while the charge was based on declarations made by the official his family and friends. Now Zhao’s lawyers say the will present an appeal in an attempt to clear his name.
Zhao was condemned to three years in prison for defrauding an official of Jilin of 2,500 US dollars by falsely promising to help him avoid work in a labour camp. Yesterday, the Beijing High Court confirmed the sentence in a ruling described by defence lawyer Guan Anping as "highly regrettable".
Guan said this was a "verdict without a trial", adding that "they did not respect the criminal law", not least because witnesses and other evidence presented by the defence were ruled as inadmissible. Ultimately, the conviction was based only on written statements by the official, his relatives and friends.
But observers recall that Zhao was arrested in September 2004, on charges of leaking state secrets abroad, after he had contributed to an article published in a New York daily. This article foretold Jiang Zemin's retirement from the position of chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party, which paved the way for the assumption of full leadership by President Hu Jintao. Previously, Zhao had denounced instances of poor governance, for example, the time when the mayor of Tangshan grabbed compensation earmarked for thousands of peasants who had been dispossessed and forced to relocate because of the construction of a dam in Hebei.
The United States has often called for the release of Zhao, who was detained for nearly two years before being brought before a judge. Meanwhile, the charge of leaking state secrets disappeared, to be replaced by accusations of fraud.
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07/02/2019 17:28
14/12/2020 09:50
