Yahoo Helps Send Chinese Writer to Prison

(Beijing) Following closely on the reported kidnapping of Chinese blogger Hao Wu by state security police is this story.

From Reuters:

Yahoo Inc. has been cited in a Chinese court decision to jail a dissident Internet writer for 10 years for subversion in 2003 -- the fourth such case to surface implicating the U.S. Internet giant.

Wang Xiaoning, born in 1951, was convicted of the charge of "incitement to subvert state power," the New York-based watchdog Human Rights in China (HRIC) said in a statement.

Evidence cited in the verdict included "information provided by Yahoo Holdings (Hong Kong) Ltd. stating that Wang's "aaabbbccc" Yahoo Group was set up using the mainland China-based email address bxoguh@yahoo.com.cn.," HRIC said.

Yahoo Holdings (Hong Kong) Ltd. also confirmed that the email address ahgq@yahoo.com.cn, through which Wang sent messages to his Yahoo Group, was a China-based account, it said.

Although it's clear that Yahoo provided specific information regarding Wang's identity, it's not clear whether it was Yahoo Holdings (Hong Kong) Ltd. or Yahoo China.

Wang's prosecution by the ChiComs was a result of his advocating democratic reform and a multi-party system. Consequently, he was deemed to be a subversive needing ten years in a Chinese prison. Without question, it's heavy punishment and "illustrates the risks Chinese people expose themselves to through no more than the peaceful expression of political views."

I think if I were Chinese, the ChiComs would have already sent me away for a long time.

Companion posts at The Dread Pundit Bluto and In The Bullpen.