Internet Dissident Sentenced To Two Years In Prison In North China

CYBERWAR

AFP File Photo

Beijing (AFP) - Dec 09, 2003
Internet dissident Yan Jun, 32, has been sentenced to two years in prison on a subversion charge for posting essays online calling for change, including a free press and free expression, his family said Monday.

The Xian Intermediate People's Court sentenced him Monday morning on a charge of "inciting subversion," his mother Dai Yuzhen told AFP.

"The court took no more 20 minutes," Dai said by telephone from Xian in Shaanxi province.

Family members and Yan could not understand the court's decision, Dai said.

"I can't accept this verdict. Just because he wrote a few essays, he's going to jail? I can't make sense of it," Dai said.

Yan told the court he planned to appeal, Dai said.

The court refused to comment.

The sentencing Tuesday comes just hours after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao landed in the United States for an official visit in which China's human rights violations, especially its recent arrests of cyber-dissidents, are expected to be raised by US officials.

The Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy urged the United States Monday to use Wen's visit to step-up pressure on China to improve its human rights record.

"We call on Bush to pressure Wen Jiabao to open up the Internet, allow religious freedom and allow workers to set up independent unions," the Center's director Frank Lu said in a statement.

Yan was arrested in April after posting five essays on the Internet. One essay called for a reassessment of the June 4 1989 crackdown on student demonstrators on Tiananmen Square.

Another asked the government to free former communist party general secretary Zhao Ziyang, who was deposed and placed under house arrest after he showed sympathy towards the students in 1989.

Yan's other essays called for freedom of the press and of expression and for the government to allow workers to set up independent unions.

He became famous in 1998 when he was among four dissidents in Xian arrested when former US president Bill Clinton visited the city as part of an official trip to China. The dissidents were released two days later.

All rights reserved. � 2003 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

CYBERWAR

Calian Technology To Build Computer Wargame System

Kanata - Dec 08, 2003
Calian Technology Ltd. Received Friday a letter of intent to contract by the Department of National Defence (DND) for the provision of professional services to prepare, co-ordinate, support and maintain Command and Control exercises and experimentation activities using computerized combat simulation systems across Canada.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.