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Beijing trial of US-based
dissident Yang Jianli ends without verdict
Mon Aug 4, 3:31 AM ET
BEIJING (AFP) - An espionage trial of a US-based
democracy activist, which is seen as an important test
case for the new Chinese government's views on
dissent, ended behind closed doors without a verdict.
Yang Jianli, who appeared at the Beijing No. 2
Intermediate People's Court after 15 months in
detention, declared himself innocent of both spying
and an additional charge of entering China illegally,
his lawyer said.
"He used his right to defend himself in court and
declared himself innocent of both charges," Mo
Shaoping told AFP shortly after the three-hour trial
ended.
The court will not announce a verdict immediately, but
under normal circumstances it should be expected
within six weeks, he said.
The punishment meted out to Yang may help show whether
China's political climate has changed after a new
generation of leaders took over earlier this year,
observers said.
"The case might provide some perspective on new
President Hu Jintao and the approach his
administration will take towards dissidents," said
Jared Genser, Yang's US-based legal adviser and leader
of rights group Freedom Now.
Forty-year-old Yang, a US resident on a Chinese
blacklist of people barred from entry, was detained in
April last year after he traveled to China on a
friend's passport in an attempt to observe ongoing
labor unrest.
"He declared himself innocent of illegal entry, since
as a Chinese citizen he has a right to return to his
home country," said Mo, the lawyer.
According to a copy of an opinion recommending
prosecution issued by the Beijing Bureau of National
Security and obtained by AFP, the spying charge is
based on activities that took place a decade ago.
Yang supporters have said these activities are
entirely innocuous, including the donation of 100 US
dollars for a Chinese agricultural scientist's
research into papaya trees.
The spuriousness of the spying charge is the likely
reason why China decided to close the trial, barring
relatives or US embassy staff from attending,
according to Genser.
"If the outside world did attend, and saw the
evidence, it would probably have a very large question
about why he is being charged with espionage at all,"
he said.
An espionage conviction can carry the death penalty in
China, although it is unlikely to be used in Yang's
case due to the high level of foreign interest in it.
Both Lorne Craner, the US State Department's top human
rights official, and James Kelly, its leading East
Asia hand, have met with Chinese embassy officials to
urge more transparency in the case, sources said.
Last week the US Senate unanimously passed a
resolution warning that cases like Yang's could harm
relations between Beijing and Washington.
Yang entered the court building early Monday without
wearing handcuffs, a witness said.
His sister and brother had traveled from eastern
Shandong province in hopes of catching a glimpse of
him.
"They were hoping they could get a glance at him or
meet him when his car passed by, but they didn't,"
Yang's wife Christina Fu told AFP from the United
States.
One man waiting outside the court said he had traveled
from northeastern Liaoning province to attend the
trial, but had not been allowed inside, because the
case involved "state secrets".
"I'm here to help push the historic development
towards greater freedom," he said. "That's the
responsibility of any citizen."
Yang, a father of two, is the founder and president of
the Foundation for China in the 21st Century, which
seeks to promote the cause of democracy.
He has been engaged in attempts to promote
understanding among China's various ethnic groups,
including the majority Han, the Tibetans and the
Turkic-speaking Uighurs.
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