Boston Activist to Be Tried in ChinaLolita C. Baldor, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON(AP)--A pro-democracy activist from the Boston area will go on trial for espionage next week in China, where he has been jailed for more than a year, a lawyer for his wife said Tuesday. Yang Jianli, who was indicted July 17, will be tried Monday on charges of entering the country illegally and acting as a spy for Taiwan. The case will be closed because it reportedly involves ``state secrets,'' according to Jared Genser, a lawyer for Yang's wife, Christina Fu. The trial, in Beijing Number Two People's Court, is expected to last a day and the court has about two months to issue a verdict. Genser said Yang's attorney in China, Mo Shaoping, is prohibited from speaking about the evidence in the case ``but our understanding, based on information we have gathered and what we have heard through diplomatic channels and other sources, is that there is no evidence that Dr. Yang was a spy for Taiwan.'' Yang's family and supporters say the Massachusetts scholar is being punished for pro-democracy activities. A Chinese citizen with permanent U.S. residency, Yang is founder of the Boston-based Foundation for China in the 21st Century. He was detained by Chinese police in April 2002, while trying to board a plane in Kunming using false papers. Genser said he and Fu have been in touch with the White House and State Department about the case and are hoping U.S. officials raise the issue with senior Chinese representatives who are in the United States this week. According to documents from the Beijing Bureau of National Security Prosecution obtained by The Associated Press, Yang is charged with working with a group from the Taiwan Nationalist Party to promote democracy and human rights. Chinese authorities allege Yang was assigned to collect inside information on Taiwan policy and living conditions on the China mainland. Genser said the charges involve innocuous work Yang did 10 years ago through the Chinese Youth Development Foundation, which he ran in California. Yang's case has gotten the attention of Congress and the State Department. The House passed a resolution calling for his release, and officials--including National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice--have brought the matter up in discussion with the Chinese. AP-NY-07-29-03 1806EDT -------------------------- |