- Zhao Yan
Zhao Yan (pinyin: Zhào Yán; Simplified Chinese: 赵岩, born
March 14 1962 ) is a Chinese researcher employed by the Beijing bureau of the "New York Times ". He was imprisoned for a three year period starting 17 September, 2004, on charges of fraud, after originally being arrested for revealing state secrets. According to the BBC, he was released on September 15, 2007 [cite news| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6996128.stm | publisher = BBC online | date = 2007-09-15 | title = China frees NY Times researcher ] .The accusation that he disclosed state secrets is related to an article in "The NY Times" on September 7, 2004, that correctly predicted the retirement of
Jiang Zemin , former president and Communist Party chief. Jiang retired on September 19 of that year. "The NY Times" had said that Zhao did not provide that information.On 17 June 2006, Zhao was tried in a closed-door session in Beijing. He was found guilty of fraud but not of revealing state secrets. Zhao was sentenced to three years jail on 24 August 2006; at that time, he had already served almost two years of his sentence. [ cite news| url = http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/226736/1/.html | publisher = Channel NewAsia | date = 2006-08-25 | title = Chinese court jails NYT researcher for 3 years ] He is the first person to be charged with, but acquitted of revealing state secrets in China.
Before joining "The New York Times", Zhao was a well-known investigative journalist who reported on farmers' rights issues for the Beijing-based "Zhongguo Gaige" 中国改革 ("China Reform") magazine. [http://www.wan-press.org/3may/2006/articles.php?id=44] He had written extensively on the plight of some 20,000 peasants who had been relocated in the 1990s to make way for the Taolinkou reservoir in Hebei Province (see
Tangshan Protest ). He was sacked by "China Reform" after more than 11,000 farmers submitted a petition to the National People's Congress.References
External links
* [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60A1FFC34550C748CDDA00894DC404482 Abstract of the Sept 7, 2004 NY Times article "China Ex-President May Be Set to Yield Last Powerful Post"]
* [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/06/01/china13497.htm Chronology of NYT researcher Zhao Yan]
* [http://www.hrichina.org/fs/view/downloadables/pdf/downloadable-resources/1.2005PrisonerProfile.pdf#search=%22Taolinkou%20protest%22 Prisoner Profile: Zhao Yan (2004)]
* [http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/75167/ Zhao Yan Tried Behind Closed Doors] - IFEX
* [http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/226736/1/.html Channel New Asia "Chinese court jails NYT researcher for 3 years" 25 August 2006]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/14/world/asia/14cndchina.html?hp China to Free Jailed New York Times Employee] . "New York Times" (Jim Yardley), Sept. 14, 2007.
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