JAIL TERM REDUCED FROM 7 TO 5 YEAR FOR A SENTENCED 71 YEAR CHINESE JOURNALIST

CHINA: An imprisoned 71-year-old Chinese journalist has had her sentence reduced to five years from seven following an appeal, her lawyer said on Thursday.

Gao Yu appealed her April conviction for leaking state secrets at a closed hearing on Tuesday at Beijing’s High Court. Her lawyer Shang Baojun said the court announced on Thursday that her sentence would be reduced.

Convicted of sharing policy document

Ms. Gao was convicted of sharing with an overseas news magazine a document detailing the Communist Party leadership’s resolve to aggressively target constitutionality, press freedoms and groups that seek to change society but operate outside the party.

The magazine, Mingjing News, has said Ms. Gao did not provide the document, and her lawyers said they presented evidence that she was not the source of the report at the appeal.

Politically-driven, say rights groups

Foreign governments and human rights groups have denounced the verdict against Ms. Gao as politically-driven and urged authorities to release the elderly journalist, who is in poor health with heart problems.

The journalist’s brother, Gao Wei, said after the appeal verdict that he wished the court had overturned the conviction and set her free. Courtesy: PTI