[huridocs-tech] Chinese democracy activist sentenced

DIGITAL FREEDOM NETWORK: South and East Asia

Chinese democracy activist sentenced
by Bobson Wong, Digital Freedom Network

(December 17, 2001) A member of the banned China Democracy Party was
sentenced last week to four years in prison on charges of trying to
overthrow the government, a Hong Kong-based human rights organization reported.

Wang Jinbo, 29, was sentenced on December 13 by the Intermediate People's
Court in the Shandong city of Linyi, according to the Information Center
for Human Rights and Democracy. Wang was found guilty of several "crimes,"
including the publication of articles on the Internet from foreign Web
sites and the posting of a message on the Internet urging the Chinese to
re-evaluate the June 4, 1989 government crackdown on pro-democracy
demonstrations at Tiananmen Square.

Wang was arrested last May in Junan town in Shandong on charges that he
"defamed" police on the Internet.

Member of banned organization

When China signed the International Covenent on Civil and Political Rights
in October 1998, many pro-democracy activists in China felt they could play
more of a role in the country. Their optimism was short-lived. After
several dissidents tried to register the China Democracy Party (CDP) as an
official opposition political party in 1998, CDP members throughout China
were arrested. Xu Wenli and Wang Youcai, who co-founded the CDP, are
currently serving prison terms of 13 and 11 years for their pro-democracy work.

Another CDP member, Wang Sen, remains in custody for publishing material
online. Wang Sen was arrested on April 30, 2001 for seeking to usurp power.
He had posted an allegation that the southwestern Chinese city of Dachuan's
medical center had sold tuberculosis medicine, which was donated by the Red
Cross, at inflated prices.

To date, at least 19 individuals are being detained by China for using the
Internet for political or religious purposes. (See the complete list at
http://dfn.org/focus/china/netattack.htm .)


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