JURIST - Paper Chase: China journalist faces 15-year prison term for Internet postings

[JURIST] Chinese Internet journalist Yang Tianshui, a member of China's chapter of International PEN [advocacy website], an association that promotes freedom of speech, faces up to 15 years in jail on charges that he attempted to "subvert state power" by posting essays on the Internet in favor of a movement entitled the "Velvet Action of China," according to his lawyer. Yang's lawyer also said he has been incriminated on charges of attempting to set up local chapters of the banned China Democracy Party [advocacy website] and receiving unauthorized funds from sources abroad. Yang's trial is set to begin in May. He was previously jailed for 10 years on similar charges of subversion. Reuters has more.

In related news, Reporters Without Borders [advocacy website] claimed [JURIST report; press release] last week that the Internet company Yahoo [corporate website] may be responsible for revealing the identity of pro-democracy activist and Internet journalist Jiang Lijun to Chinese police, which lead to his 2003 guilty verdict [PDF text, in English] for allegedly promoting democracy through "violent means" on the Internet.

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