AP: 6 Convicted in China Falun Gong Case

BEIJING (AP) - Four Chinese academics, a university staffer and a graduate student convicted of spreading material on the Internet about the banned Falun Gong (news - web sites) spiritual group were sentenced to prison terms of up to 12 years, a human rights organization said.

Four of those jailed were faculty members of the Chinese capital's elite Tsinghua University, the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said in a statement dated Friday. It said they were sentenced Dec. 13 by the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court.

A court official contacted by telephone said four Falun Gong followers were sentenced Dec. 13 but she didn't know their identities. She would give only her surname, Wang. Other officials of the court refused to give any information.

Tsinghua's administration and press offices refused to comment. The university is China's most prominent school for chemistry, physics and other sciences.

[...]

Thousands of Falun Gong followers have been detained in the crackdown. Supporters abroad say more than 300 have died from torture and mistreatment.

Last month, the Chinese government deported 35 Westerners, including six Americans, who protested in Beijing against the crackdown.

Of the group sentenced Dec. 13, the Information Center said the longest term of 12 years was imposed on Yao Yue, a female researcher at Tsinghua's microelectronics research institute.

Wang Xuefei, a graduate student at a university in Shanghai, was sentenced to 11 years; Meng Jun, a Tsinghua professor of electronics, to 10 years and Wang Xin, another Tsinghua academic, to nine years, the Information Center said.

It said Dong Yanhong, a Tsinghua staff member, was sentenced to five years and Liu Wenyu, a Tsinghua professor of electric power who is Yao's husband, to three years.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011224/wl/china_falun_gong_1.html

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