JURIST - Paper Chase: China jails journalist for subversion as another appeals sentence, requests release

[JURIST] A Chinese court has sentenced writer Li Yuanlong, a reporter for the Bijie Daily newspaper who wrote essays on websites banned by the Chinese government, to two years in prison for "inciting subversion of state authority," his lawyer said Thursday. Li pleaded not guilty during his May trial [CPJ report], after being charged [The Standard report] in February. Reporters Without Borders [advocacy website] condemned the sentence [press release] and praised Li for his reporting on the hardships faced by the poorest Chinese citizens.

Also on Thursday, another jailed journalist appealed his sentence and requested release to visit his doctor, according to a human rights group. Shi Tao was jailed for ten years for divulging details of a censorship order [HRIC backgrounder] to a US-based human rights group. Internet giant Yahoo has been accused of leading Chinese authorities to Shi [JURIST report] by turning over Shi's emails to local authorities, but Yahoo has refused to confirm the allegations. A verdict in the Zhao Yan state secrets case [JURIST report] is expected by July 25. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) [advocacy website] reported in 2005 that Chinese prisons held 32 journalists [CPJ report], allegedly more than in any other country. AP has more.

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