From New York Times:
A Hong Kong journalist has been sentenced to five years in prison after a Beijing court convicted him on charges of spying for Taiwan, state media reported Thursday morning.
The journalist, Ching Cheong, 56, was tried in a closed courtroom earlier this month after being held for 18 months. International human rights and journalism advocacy groups have strongly criticized the arrest as baseless and politically motivated. Mr. Ching’s wife also has denied the charges and said he was entrapped.
His lawyer, He Peihua, confirmed the sentence but declined to discuss the verdict, citing restrictions in state secrets case. But the official New China News Agency reported the five-year sentence and a fine of 300,000 yuan, or about $37,500, in a brief article posted Thursday on its English-language Web site. [Full Text]
See also:
– “China reporter jailed for spying” by BBC.
– “HK journalist sentenced for espionage” by Xinhua.
– “China jails Singapore newspaper reporter for spying” by Donny Kwok.
– “China jails HK reporter for 5 years” by Andrew Yeh.
– “Reporter Sentenced to 5 Years for Spying” by Joe McDonald.
– Previous CDT posts about Ching Cheong.
Technorati Tags: China, Ching Cheong, press freedom
