China releases reporter jailed since 2005

China releases reporter jailed since 2005 after Yahoo disclosed details of email to government

 

 

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

 

 

 

 

FILE - This undated file photo, taken at an unknown location released on Nov. 22, 2005 by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) shows Shi Tao, a freelance journalist for Internet publications and an editor for the Chinese business newspaper Dangdai Shang Bao. Shi, a Chinese reporter who was sentenced to prison in 2005 after Yahoo Inc. disclosed details of his email has been released, a writer's group announced Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013. Shi was released Aug. 23, 15 months before the end of his sentence, the Independent Chinese Pen Center said in a statement. There was no indication why Shi was released early. (AP Photo/Committee to Protect Journalists, File)

BEIJING, China - A Chinese reporter who was sentenced to prison in 2005 after Yahoo Inc. disclosed details of his email has been released, a writer's group announced Sunday.

Shi Tao was released Aug. 23, 15 months before the end of his sentence, the Independent Chinese Pen Center said in a statement. There was no indication why Shi was released early.

Shi was arrested in 2004 and sentenced to prison the following year on charges of disclosing state secrets. He had sent details of a government memo about restrictions on news coverage to a human rights forum in the United States.

Human rights activists and U.S. legislators criticized Yahoo for disclosing details of Shi's email to the Chinese government, which led to his conviction.

Yahoo, based in Sunnyvale, California, said it was obligated to comply with Chinese government demands for information. But at a U.S. congressional hearing in November, 2007, the company's chief executive, Jerry Yang, apologized to Shi's family.

Shortly after that, Yahoo settled lawsuits brought by the families of Shi and Wang Xiaoning, a dissident who was sentenced to prison on subversion charges after the company's Hong Kong affiliate disclosed contents of his email account to Chinese authorities.

Also in 2007, the World Association of Newspapers gave Shi its Golden Pen of Freedom award.

Yahoo turned over control of its email and other services in China to a local partner, Alibaba Group, in 2005. The U.S. company bought a 40 per cent stake in Alibaba.

Yahoo closed its email service in China last month and recommended users switch to a service run by Alibaba.