16 March 2005

Alert

Journalist Shi Tao found guilty of "illegally divulging state secrets abroad", faces lengthy prison sentence


Incident details

Shi Tao

journalist(s)

charged

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(RSF/IFEX) - On 11 March 2005, dissident journalist Shi Tao appeared before the state prosecutor in the southern city of Changsha in a secret, two-hour hearing and was found guilty of "illegally divulging state secrets abroad". RSF has voiced outrage at the travesty of justice in Shi's case.

The journalist is scheduled to be sentenced on 25 March at the latest. He reportedly faces anywhere from 10 years to life in prison.

Shi was allowed to see his mother and brother for 10 minutes after the hearing. Since he was suffering from the flu, his family wanted to give him some medicine but the authorities prevented them from doing so.

On 4 March, the Justice Department in the eastern city of Shanghai banned Shi's lawyer, Guo Guoting, from practising law for a year. As a result, Shi was represented at the hearing by one of Guo's colleagues.



Source

Reporters Without Borders
47, rue Vivienne
75002 Paris
France
rsf (@) rsf.org
Phone: +33 1 44 83 84 84
Fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51
 

Updates to this story

Journalist's health deteriorates in forced labour, prison conditions 8 December 2005 Journalist Shi Tao spends Journalists' Day in China in a high-security prison 8 November 2005

China

Official announces political education for journalists 19 March 2010 Propaganda department issues new reporting ban 16 March 2010 Censorship and threats follow publication of joint editorial on internal passport system 11 March 2010 Writer prevented from travelling to German book festival, under house arrest 3 March 2010 New regulations announced as Internet censorship reaches unprecedented level 25 February 2010


 
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