China jails veteran dissident, targets five journalists for extortion

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2006

BEIJING (AFP) — A veteran Chinese dissident was sentenced to 12 years in jail for subversion, his lawyer said, as five journalists were hauled before China's justice system on extortion charges.

Yang Tianshui, 45, who spent a decade in prison from 1990 to 2000, was jailed for another 12 years for organizing pro-democracy activities and posting anti-government articles on the Internet, his lawyer, Li Jianqiang, told AFP.

The Zhenjiang intermediate court in eastern China's Jiangsu province sentenced Yang, also known as Yang Tongyan, following a three-hour trial Tuesday, Li said.

"He was convicted of posting anti-government articles on the Internet, organizing branches of the (outlawed) China Democracy Party and accepting illegal funds from overseas.

...