Newspaper Researcher’s Trial Begins
The closed trial of a Chinese researcher for the New York Times who has been accused of leaking state secrets and fraud began today in Beijing, his lawyer said.
Lawyers for Zhao Yan have asked for the fraud charge to be heard in open court “so the public can monitor the fairness of the trial.” But a lawyer said today that the court seemed unwilling to grant that request.
Zhao was detained in 2004 after the newspaper reported on former Chinese President Jiang Zemin’s plans to relinquish his post as head of the military. The government has not released details about the case.
Meanwhile, in Hunan province, Yang Xiaoqing, a reporter for the state-run China Industrial Economy News who had been found guilty of extortion after writing articles about official corruption, was sentenced Thursday to one year in prison, his wife and lawyer said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
