Researcher indicted for exposing state secrets

A Chinese researcher for the New York Times was indicted on Friday for revealing state secrets to the newspaper and also on a lesser charge of fraud, a move that should send the case to trial within six weeks, his lawyer said.

The researcher, Zhao Yan (趙岩), 43, who worked in the newspaper's Beijing bureau, has spent 15 months in prison without a hearing. The formal indictment is significant because such a move on state secrets charges is usually tantamount to conviction in China.

Zhao, who had denied the charges, could face a minimum of 10 years in prison.

"For Zhao Yan's colleagues, family and friends, this is deeply disheartening," said Bill Keller, the executive editor of the Times. Keller lobbied China's Foreign Ministry on Zhao's behalf during an October visit to Beijing.

"We've seen no evidence whatsoever that he is guilty of anything but honest journalism," Keller said.

Zhao's arrest is directly linked to an article published on Sept. 7 last year in the Times that revealed that former Chinese President Jiang Zemin (江澤民) had unexpectedly offered to resign his last leadership post as head of the military. The ruling Communist Party is acutely sensitive to any reporting on the secretive inner-workings of top leaders.

Zhao's arrest has brought China widespread international condemnation, including criticism from the US government. This month, President Bush included Zhao on a list of troubling human rights cases that he handed to Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) during their meeting in Beijing. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has also criticized his arrest.

Two weeks ago, the international press freedom advocacy group, Reporters Without Borders, named Zhao as journalist of the year.

Zhao's lawyer, Mo Shaoping (莫少平), said the belabored manner in which the case was handled underscored its controversial nature and may indicate uncertainty by prosecutors.