BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese dissident imprisoned for 10 years on a state subversion conviction supported by evidence from Web portal Yahoo is due to be released Friday after completing his term, his wife said.
The American Internet company drew strong condemnation from U.S. lawmakers and rights advocates for cooperating with Chinese authorities in prosecuting dissidents and a well-known journalist. The company later apologized and settled a lawsuit with the families involved for an undisclosed amount.
Wang Xiaoning’s wife Yu Ling said in a phone interview that the Beijing No. 2 Prison told her of his release Friday morning and that she should meet him at the prison gate.
“I’m very happy that finally I can be reunited with my husband after all these years,” Yu said.
Wang was detained in September 2002 and later sentenced for “incitement to subvert state power” — a vaguely defined charge frequently used to punish political critics. Wang distributed pro-democracy writings by e-mail and through Yahoo Groups.
A former engineer in China’s weapons industry, Wang had been detained previously for his political activities following the June 4, 1989, military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
Rights groups said that passages from writings cited at his trial in 2003 included: “Without a multiparty system, free elections and separation of powers, any political reform is fraudulent.” Others called China an “authoritarian dictatorship,” and complained of continuing widespread corruption, poverty and workers exploitation.
A lawsuit Wang and others filed in the United States showed that Yahoo’s wholly owned subsidiary based in Hong Kong gave police information linking Wang to his anonymous e-mails and other political writings he posted online.
Yahoo could not immediately be reached for comment.
