11 August 2006

Online journalist still awaiting verdict four months after trial

Reporters Without Borders today joined the New York-based organisation Human Rights in China in protesting against the Chinese judicial system’s violations of its own legal procedures in the case of online journalist Li Jianping.

“After investigating for 14 months, it is clear that the judicial authorities do not have enough evidence to convict Li,” the press freedom organisation said. “Expressing his views on the Internet is not a crime, and we therefore request his immediate release.”

Li’s trial took place on 12 April in Zibo, in the eastern province of Shandong. According to article 168 of the code of criminal procedure, the court had a month and a half to issue its verdict. In very complex cases, a court may be allowed an additional a month.

Li was formally charged on 9 March with “incitement to subvert state sovereignty.” This was more than nine months after his arrest, on 28 May 2005. This was already a violation of the code of criminal procedure, which stipulates in article 138 that the judicial authorities have a maximum of three and a half months to bring charges.

According to Human Rights in China, the Zibo court requested additional evidence without his family being notified. Meanwhile, nothing is know about the conditions in which he is being held as neither his family nor lawyer have been allowed to visit him.

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