Jiang Weiping
Jiang Weiping (Chinese: 姜维平 ) is a veteran mainland Chinese journalist known internationally for his arrest by the Communist Party of China in 2001. During his career, he received several awards from local and provincial governments for his journalism and reporting.[1] In 1999, he began publishing a series of articles about the Communist Party corruption in the Hong Kong magazine Frontline (Chinese: 前哨; pinyin: Qian shao).[2] He was subsequently arrested by the Chinese authorities, and sent to 8 years in prison.[3]
Career
Jiang was a reporter for Xinhua News Agency in the 1980s.[1] From the early 1990s he was the Northeastern China bureau chief of the pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po newspaper in Hong Kong.[4]
In 1999 Jiang began writing a series of articles about the corruption of the Communist party for the Hong Kong magazine Frontline. By 2001 Jiang was a reporter working in mainland China for the Hong Kong magazine.[5]
The reports
- Shenyang vice Mayor Ma Xiangdong lost nearly 30 million yuan (US $3.6 million) in public funds while gambling in Macau casinos.
- Daqing vice mayor Qian Dihua was also exposed to have illegally obtaining funds to buy cars and houses for each of his 29 mistresses.[1]
- Former governor of Liaoning governor Bo Xilai was reported to have covered up some political corruption.[1]
Aftermath
The reported
- Ma Xiangdong was later arrested and accused of taking bribes, embezzling public funds, and gambling overseas, as part of the PRC government's anti-corruption campaign.[1] He was convicted and executed in December 2000.[6]
- Bo Xilai later became the PRC trade minister, and in 2007 he aggressively defended Chinese toy products containing lead that were exported to the United States.[7]
The reporter
Jiang was detained on January 4, 2001 and subsequently convicted of illegally supplying State secrets and inciting the subversion of state power under the Dalian Intermediate People’s Court on January 21, 2002. He was given a combined sentence of 8 years and deprivation of political rights for 5 years. Jiang immediately filed an appeal.[3]
On December 26, 2002, the Liaoning Province Higher People's Court heard the appeal. He was still determined guilty, and the sentencing were reduced to 6 years and deprivation of political rights for 3 years.[3]
Jiang spent 6 years in prison before being released on the 5th year. The sentence was shortened again to expire on January 3, 2007.[8] According to PEN Canada, journalists around the world overwhelmingly voiced their support for Jiang and his principled journalistic work.[9]
Jiang is currently living in Toronto and finishing a forthcoming book about his experiences. He is the 'scholar-at-risk' at Massey College at the University of Toronto. [10]
Awards
- Jiang was awarded a CPJ International Press Freedom Award in 2001 by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
- He was also awarded the "One humanity award" in 2006 by PEN Canada, which included a C$5000 cash prize.[9]
See also
References
External links
- "Activist: China Releases Jailed Journalist" (Reuters) accessed January 3, 2006
- Press freedom group welcomes release - IFEX