NYT Researcher freed -- many more to go
I am sure we are all happy that Zhao Yan has been freed. of course we also all know that he should never have been arrested and jailed in the first place.
Note that he was arrested for revelaing state secrets, which in China can mean anything from the missle launch codes to what the president had for lunch, but finally convicted of corruption.
Corruption is the big thing in China. People arrested for one thing often get convicted of corruption. (Maybe the paperwork to fabricate this chage is easier than discussing "state secrets.") The leadership in Beijing know that the people will support them in fights against corruption. So they can whip up support for anti-media campaigns by calling researchers, reporters, editors, producers, etc corrupt.
China is still holding more journalists in jail -- and not all have yet gone to "trial" -- than any other country. (Number 2, by the way is Cuba.)
Let us not forget that dictatorial rulers such as those in China, Cuba, Zimbabwe, etc. see honest jouranlists, those who look for stories that no one else is telling and who look for more than just one side of a story, as nothing more than spies sent to undermine the govenrment. These journalists, they figure, need to be arrested and put away.
Many of have real doubts if the Chinese leadership will live up to their promises of more openess for the Olympics. A few of us cynical types figure the openess will refer to ONLY Olympic-related stories.
I hope journalists heading to China next year don't get their hopes up that they will be able to wander around the countryside or into Tibet with impunity. These have always been areas the Chinese govenment does not want nosey Western reporters. (Think SARS.)
Dan
China frees N.Y. Times researcher
Zhao Yan's detention in 2004 prompted an outcry by human rights and press freedom groups. The government never released details of the state secrets charge, but it was believed to stem from a Times report on then-leader Jiang Zemin's plans to step down as head of the military. Zhao was acquitted of that charge but later convicted of fraud.
The case came amid efforts by President Hu Jintao's government to tighten controls on Chinese media. Dozens of reporters have since been jailed, often on charges of violating vague secrecy and security laws.
On Saturday morning, Zhao was greeted by family members and friends as he left a Beijing detention center. He hugged his sister, daughter and others but said nothing to reporters. He later issued a statement thanking his family and the Times for their support.
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