A dark signal from China

International Herald Tribune | The New York Times
May 21, 2006

Before President Hu Jintao of China visited the United States earlier this spring, there was hope that his government would free Zhao Yan, a longtime journalist who is now a researcher for The New York Times. Zhao was being held on political charges, the prosecution's attempt to make him the scapegoat for a Times article that had apparently outraged Chinese leaders. And when those charges were dropped shortly before Hu met with President Bush, it raised the possibility that Zhao would be released immediately.

Now, that hope seems lost. Last week, prosecutors reinstated the old charges against Zhao word for word, charge for charge. The reinstatement is doubly distressing. Zhao was not in fact a source for a Times exclusive two years ago on the announcement of a change of leadership. And Chinese laws forbid double jeopardy, so this second charge on the same offense runs directly counter to the country's own code.

The Bush administration has helped make Zhao's case a priority and that emphasis can only help. But some China experts worry that this legal step backward is one reaction to Hu's treatment when he was in Washington. The White House refused to elevate the trip to a state visit, which apparently rankled some of the Chinese. An announcer called China by the official name of Taiwan and a woman who had received press credentials disrupted one event to protest treatment of the Falun Gong.

>> Read the complete article