The researcher, Zhao Yan, 44, who worked in the Beijing bureau of The Times, has been in custody for 22 months without appearing before a court. His lawyer, Mo Shaoping, said Mr. Zhao had been formally notified that his trial was scheduled to begin in the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court. After more than a year in custody while investigators gathered evidence, Mr. Zhao was formally indicted in December 2005.
The accusation that Mr. Zhao disclosed state secrets arose from an article published in The Times on Sept. 7, 2004, that reported that a former president, Jiang Zemin, had offered to resign his post as head of the military, according to the indictment. Mr. Jiang resigned two weeks later. [Full Text]