World Watch: New China's Trial RunPENNY CAMPBELL August 11, 2003 | Vol. 162, No. 6 CHINA The verdict from the trial of Boston-based Chinese dissident Yang Jianli — which opens in Beijing Monday — may hint at the direction the new communist leadership will take on human-rights issues. Yang has been held in virtual isolation since he was arrested 15 months ago for entering the country on a false passport, and was denied access to a lawyer and family members for nearly a year. Blacklisted as a result of his activism during the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising, Yang settled in the U.S. His wife says he returned to China to see firsthand how the country has changed. But last month, the Chinese government accused him of spying for Taiwan. Yang's detention has been criticized by various international agencies, and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Lorne Craner says Yang's is "one of the particular cases we now mention in all our discussions about political prisoners." Only intense pressure from overseas may keep Yang from conviction. China's new leaders still have a chance to prove they're not like their predecessors. — By Susan Jakes/Beijing -------------------------- |