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Ann Cooper, Executive Director of CPJ, said: "Zheng has done nothing more than express his opinions, a right that is guaranteed to all Chinese citizens, the Chinese government has made a mockery of the legal proceedings that it has brought against Zheng, who does not deserve to be in jail."
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Authorities detained Zheng on 3 December 2004 after he criticized Communist
Party leaders. Zheng, a former professor who wrote hundreds of articles for online news sites that are blocked in China, including Epoch Times, was convicted of "inciting subversion" through his writings. Epoch Times is associated with the banned Falun Gong religious sect.
Zheng was initially tried by Yingkou Intermediate People's Court on 26 April 2005. No verdict was announced. On 21 July 2005, he was tried again on the same charges. As in the 26 April trial, proceedings lasted just three hours. Though officially "open" to the public, the courtroom was closed to all observers except close family members and local government officials. Zheng's supporters and a journalist were prevented from entering, according to a local source.
Zheng is diabetic, and has not received adequate treatment in prison,
according to his brother.
Sources familiar with the case believe that Zheng's harsh sentence may be linked to Chinese leaders' objections to the Epoch Times series "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party," a widely read and controversial look at Chinese Communist Party history and current practices.
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