Zhao Yan in Detention

NYT’S Zhao Yan Detained

October 2004 - New York Times’ employee Zhao Yan, a Chinese national, was detained September 17 on a Kafkaesque “leaking state secrets to foreigners” charge. A Tuesday, October 5 NYT editorial on the case said:

“…Apparently, the "state secret" in this case was an advance report that Mr. Jiang was about to retire. The Times has said Mr. Zhao, who has yet to see a lawyer, had nothing to do with the article. But the very suggestion that routine politics is a state secret in Beijing speaks volumes about the state of Chinese Communism. If he wants to suggest otherwise, Mr. Hu should immediately release Mr. Zhao.”

US Secretary of State Colin Powell raised the case to Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing in late September, when Li was visiting the State Department. Powell said Li told him he’d look into it. But as of when we go to press on October 13, Zhao Yan’s lawyer has still not been able to see him, nor has his family – although they have, says NYT’s Joe Kahn, been able to send in supplies.

The FCCC has protested Zhao’s arrest, urged his release and asked that any further investigation be carried out in a public manner to remove any hint of intimidation toward employees of foreign news organizations. The Hong Kong FCC and the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists have also weighed in. Crunch time comes within days, as Chinese law says that an individual can be detained for only one month without being formally charged. Keep an eye on whether that law is followed.

Zhao Yan languishes in detention

November 2004 - The FCCC remains deeply concerned about New York Times researcher and farmers’ rights advocate Zhao Yan. He remains in detention, formally charged with revealing state secrets. If convicted on that charge, Zhao Yan could get the death penalty. The New York Times continues to lobby on Zhao’s behalf, and continues to categorically deny that Zhao revealed any state secrets to it. Zhao’s September 16 detention came shortly after NYT Bureau Chief Joe Kahn wrote a piece correctly predicting that Jiang Zemin would be stepping down as head of the Central Military Commission. Zhao’s arrest sends a chilling message to Chinese researchers and news assistants – that they could pay a price if their boss gets the wrong scoop…whether they helped with it or not.

Zhao Yan Update and The Clampdown generally

December 2004 - Zhao Yan of the New York Times, continues to be detained. Normally, charges must be brought within two months, but this has now been extended by a month into January. A lawyer has made three requests to see Zhao, but has been turned down each time. The NYT is continuing to push for his release. The tough line on Zhao is part of a wider continued clampdown on journalists, and intellectuals generally. Yu Jie, Liu Xiaobo and Zhang Zuhua were all detained earlier in December, questioned all night, but then released the next day.

Still no word on Zhao Yan

February 2005 - The New York Times bureau reports that there is no news on the case of detained researcher and farmers’ rights advocate Zhao Yan. The FCCC remains deeply concerned about Zhao, who is charged with revealing state secrets. If convicted on that charge, Zhao Yan could get the death penalty. The New York Times continues to lobby on Zhao’s behalf.