Subversion in China

(Beijing) It's not surprising that having an opinion and voicing it is a serious crime in Communist China. I'll forever be reminded of Tiananmen Square.

From Boston.com:

A freelance writer was sentenced to 12 years in prison yesterday, receiving an unusually harsh penalty amid one of China's most severe media crackdowns since the 1980s.

The sentencing of Yang Tianshui on subversion charges was one of a flurry of court actions yesterday against Chinese reporters. In Beijing, prosecutors filed a new indictment against a Chinese researcher for The New York Times who has been in custody since 2004 on state secrets charges. In southern China, a journalist went on trial and pleaded not guilty to extortion charges.

Yang was convicted after being accused of posting articles on foreign websites, receiving money from abroad, and helping a would-be opposition party, according to his lawyer, Li Jianqiang.

Yang was taken into custody last December in a campaign to crackdown on public discussion of corruption, political reform, and social problems. New York Times researcher Zhao Yan is accused of leaking state secrets to foreigners. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, China has jailed at least 42 journalists.

Notaby, the alleged 'crimes' committed by Chinese journalists are commonplace practices of the Western media.