An espionage trial of a US-based democracy activist, which is seen as an important test case for the new Chinese government's views on dissent, ended behind closed doors without a verdict yesterday.
Yang Jianli (
"He used his right to defend himself in court and declared himself innocent of both charges," Mo Shaoping told reporters shortly after the three-hour trial ended.
The court will not announce a verdict immediately, but under normal circumstances it should be expected within six weeks, he said.
The punishment meted out to Yang may help show whether China's political climate has changed after a new generation of leaders took over earlier this year, observers said.
"The case might provide some perspective on new President Hu Jintao (
Forty-year-old Yang, a US resident on a Chinese blacklist of people barred from entry, was detained in April last year after he traveled to China on a friend's passport in an attempt to observe ongoing labor unrest.
"He declared himself innocent of illegal entry, since as a Chinese citizen he has a right to return to his home country," said Mo, the lawyer.
According to a copy of an opinion recommending prosecution issued by the Beijing Bureau of National Security, the spying charge is based on activities that took place a decade ago.
Yang's supporters have said these activities are entirely innocuous, including the donation of US$100 for a Chinese agricultural scientist's research into papaya trees.
The spuriousness of the spying charge is the likely reason why China decided to close the trial, barring relatives or US embassy staff from attending, according to Genser.
"If the outside world did attend, and saw the evidence, it would probably have a very large question about why he is being charged with espionage at all," he said.
An espionage conviction can carry the death penalty in China, although it is unlikely to be used in Yang's case due to the high level of foreign interest in it.
Both Lorne Craner, the US State Department's top human rights official, and James Kelly, its leading East Asia hand, have met with Chinese embassy officials to urge more transparency in the case, sources said.
Last week the US Senate unanimously passed a resolution warning that cases like Yang's could harm relations between Beijing and Washington.
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