Yahoo helps China arrest another journalist

A SUBSIDIARY of the search engine outfit Yahoo, seems to have helped the Chinese government lock away an online pro-democracy supporter.

Reporters Without Borders says it has court documents that show that Yahoo Holdings (Hong Kong) handed over Jiang Lijun's e-mail account knowing that it would be used in evidence against him.

Lijun was sentenced to four years inside in November 2003 for subversion.

According to the court, Jiang used the Internet and other methods to promote a "so-called Western-style democracy" and to advocate the overthrow of the Chinese government.

He was charged with making bomb threats and attempting to start a new political party, although he denied this.

Reporters Without Borders called on Yahoo to pull its e-mail servers out of China so that if Beijing wanted the data it would have to apply through an American court. More here. µ