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Times researcher to be released in China
2007-09-14
A New York Times researcher convicted in China of fraud is scheduled to be released from prison this weekend, a newspaper spokeswoman said Thursday. Zhao Yan was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of fraud last year. He was acquitted of a more serious charge of revealing state secrets, which could have resulted in a 10-year sentence. The Times learned of Zhao's imminent release on Thursday, spokeswoman Catherine Mathis said without elaborating. Zhao's family had been told about his release, scheduled for Saturday, she said. "We're looking forward to welcoming Zhao Yan," Times Executive Editor Bill Keller said in a statement. Zhao's case has drawn international attention amid efforts by China's communist government to tighten controls on the media. Dozens of reporters have been jailed, often on charges of violating China's vague secrecy and security laws. On Aug. 25, 2006, the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court convicted Zhao of taking $2,500 from a man in 2001 on a false promise that he would use his connections to have the man's 18-month sentence in a labor camp rescinded, according to state media reports. Zhao, who had been detained for almost two years before his conviction, claimed he never took the money. The court concluded there was insufficient evidence to convict Zhao on the more serious charge of revealing state secrets. The government didn't release details of that charge, but the case was believed to stem from a Times report on then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin's plans to relinquish his post as head of the military. Zhao, who is in his mid-40s, argued in an appeal that the prosecution's evidence did not amount to a criminal charge and that a defense witness was not allowed to testify during the trial. The Beijing High Court rejected his appeal in December. Before joining The Times in 2004, Zhao was an investigative reporter for Chinese publications and wrote about complaints of official corruption and abuses in the countryside.
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