RSF says Chinese verdict implicates Yahoo!

Posted by Martin Stabe on 27 February 2006 at 19:00
Tags: Ethics, Freedom of Expression, International, Journalism, Online

Reporters Without Borders says it has obtained Chinese court documents confirming that internet portal Yahoo! collaborated with Chinese authorities seeking the conviction of dissident Li Zhi.

“The Li Zhi verdict shows that all Internet sector companies are pulled in to help when the police investigate a political dissident,” the press freedom organisation said in a news release.

RSF says the verdict showed that Li was given a eight-year prison sentence in December 2003 based on electronic records provided by Yahoo! Hong Kong Ltd and its Chinese competitor Sina.

RSF has previously criticised Yahoo! for similar involvement in the jailing of journalist Shi Tao, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of forwarding a letter sent to his newspaper, Dangdai Shang Bao, by the Chinese propaganda officials to a US-based Chinese dissident web site. Shi had used his personal Yahoo! e-mail address to forward the message, and records supplied to Chinese authorities by Yahoo! linked him to the address, RSF says.

Tags: Ethics, Freedom of Expression, International, Journalism, Online