2 Get 13 Years in China Jail for Dissent

Two democracy activists who sought for more than a decade to liberalize China’s political and economic systems were each sentenced today to 13 years in jail for their roles in the 1989 student-led protests.

The sentences were the heaviest imposed on key dissidents so far.

Chen Ziming, the head of a private social science research institute, and Wang Juntao, the editor of the institute’s newspaper, “committed very serious crimes but have so far shown no willingness to repent,” the official New China News Agency said.

Both were convicted of sedition and counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement--a charge that covers any activity considered harmful to China’s socialist revolution.

Liu Gang, a researcher at Chen’s institute who helped organize protesters in 1989, also was convicted of sedition and sentenced to six years in prison. The news agency said he “acknowledged his crimes and showed willingness to repent.”

A fourth man, Chen Xiaoping, was convicted of sedition but was released “for voluntarily giving himself up to police and showing willingness to repent,” the report said.

Wang, Chen Ziming and Liu went into hiding after the army attack that ended the democracy movement, killing hundreds of people. The former two were arrested while on the run from Chinese authorities.

As in previous sentencings in connection with the movement, the government mixed heavier with lesser terms in an apparent effort to mitigate Western criticism.