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HK activists press China to free reporter

By Andrew Wong

HONG KONG (Reuter): Pro-democracy activists have joined forces with local journalists to press for the release of a China-born Hong Kong reporter jailed by Beijing for 12 years for espionage after his conviction was upheld on appeal.

"We have just set up a group called "Operation for Saving Ming Pao Reporter Xi Yang'," group spokesman Chan Hung said on Saturday. "The first step we will take is to stage a rally and march all the way to Hong Kong Xinhua tomorrow."

The Hong Kong branch of China's official Xinhua news agency acts as the de facto Chinese consulate in the British colony.

The group comprises 120 local organizations, including leading pro-democracy parties like the United Democrats of Hong Kong. Well known pro-democracy legislators such as Martin Lee and Szeto Wah have also taken leading roles.

Several hundred protesters, most of them Hong Kong journalists, marched on the local headquarters of Xinhua in a protest rally shortly after Beijing's decision to uphold the 12- year prison sentence was announced on last Friday.

Xi was convicted at a secret trial in China late last month of stealing "state secrets" about internal policies on interest rates and gold reserves.

Co-defendant Tian Ye, a central bank clerk, was convicted of supplying the information and imprisoned for 15 years.

The municipal Supreme People's Court reviewed Xi's case, but rejected his defense that trial evidence was scant and may have been misused and that his aggressive, earnest reporting met high journalistic standards.

Xi's employer, Hong Kong-based newspaper Ming Pao, hit out at Chinese justice in Saturday's edition with an editorial bordered in black that read: "We pay respects to our reporter Xi Yang and throw our pens at China's judicial system."

Chan said the newly formed group urged Beijing to scrap all charges against Xi and Tian and release them immediately.

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