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Alert

Two cyber-dissidents receive harsh prison sentences, another released

(RSF/IFEX) - RSF has expressed outrage after two cyber-dissidents, Kong Youping and Ning Xianhua, were sentenced to 15 and 12 years in prison, respectively, by a court in Shenyang, Liaoning province, northeastern China. Both were accused of "subverting state power" for posting articles on the Internet in support of the Chinese Democratic Party (CDP). Cyber-dissident Xu Guang, also a member of the CDP, was released just two days earlier after serving a five-year jail term.

"These sentences are the latest in a long list of repressive measures the Chinese government has taken recently to stifle freedom of expression on the Internet," said RSF, in reaction to the 16 September 2004 court ruling.

Kong Youping was arrested in December 2003 for posting five articles and seven poems on a foreign website challenging the official version of the "Beijing Spring" and criticising corruption among political leaders. He had also called for the release of the young Internet essayist Liu Di, who was released in November 2003.

Xu Guang was arrested in June 1999 with three other cyber-dissidents, Mao Qingxiang, Zhu Yufu and Wu Yilong. The four CDP activists were sentenced by the Hangzhou intermediate court in Zhejiang province, eastern China, for "subversion", after circulating pro-democracy articles on the Internet and for their work with the magazine "Zai Yedang" ("Opposition Party"). Mao Qingxiang was sentenced to eight years in prison, Zhu Yufu to seven years and Wu Yilong to 11 years. They are all still in prison.

The CDP, founded in 1998, is an underground opposition party. About 30 of its activists are currently behind bars.