Group Seeks Release of Chinese Activist

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS | The New York Times
21 March 2007

A rights group appealed Wednesday for the release of a Chinese activist sentenced to six years in prison after he was accused of posting subversive articles on the Internet.

State media reported on Monday that Zhang Jianhong, the former editor in chief of a Chinese Web site called ''Aiqinhai,'' or ''Aegean Sea,'' had written articles that defamed the Chinese government and amounted to agitation aimed at toppling the government.

''It is outrageous that China continues to sentence its own citizens for their critical reporting and commentary, even as it gears up to host the Olympic Games in 2008,'' Committee to Protect Journalists director Joel Simon said in a statement.

''We call for this sentence to be overturned and for Zhang Jianhong to be released immediately,'' Simon said.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Zhang's sentence was handed down by the Ningbo Intermediate People's Court in China's eastern Zhejiang province, and cited a court statement saying Zhang had slandered the government and China's social system in more than 60 articles published on overseas Web sites.

Xinhua did not give any specific examples of Zhang's writings, but the CPJ said Zhang had called for political reform in China and had written about allegations that the government had illegally obtained organs from living prisoners for transplant.

Zhang was mentioned in the U.S. State Department's annual report on human rights, which was released earlier this month.

Zhang's sentence comes amid a government campaign to tighten control over China's media and the Internet. Dozens of people have been detained in recent months after posting political essays online.

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