Shi Tao
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Shitao.
Shi Tao (Simplified Chinese: 师涛; Traditional Chinese: 師濤; pinyin: Shī Tāo; born 25 July 1968) is a Chinese journalist who was imprisoned for releasing the text of internal Communist Party documents on the Internet. He had previously worked for the business daily Dangdai Shang Bao (Contemporary Business News) in Changsha.
In 2004, Shi emailed some notes regarding the government's instructions on handling media coverage of the Tiananmen Square anniversary. He was detained on 24 November 2004 and formally arrested on December 14 on a charge of leaking state secrets. Shi was found guilty in April 2005 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The incident sparked a controversy about the business practices of Yahoo!, whose Hong Kong arm provided technical information connecting the message and email account with Shi Tao's computer. Yahoo! was criticized by Reporters Without Borders for acting as a "police informant".
Shi's mother, Gao Qinsheng, alleged "serious procedural defects" in her son's case, but his appeal was rejected without a hearing.
The World Association of Newspapers has honoured Shi Tao with the 2007 Golden Pen of Freedom Award in recognition of his contribution to press freedom.
In 2005, Shi Tao was awarded an International Press Freedom Awards by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
[edit] References
- Shi Tao Wins Golden Pen of Freedom
- Imprisoned journalist Shi Tao's family files for review of appeal - Committee to Protect Journalists
- Yahoo! 'helped jail China writer' - BBC
- CPJ to Honour Press Freedom Defenders - IFEX
[edit] External links
News reports
- Yahoo’s data contributes to arrests in China: free Shi Tao from prison in China! Amnesty International article about Shi Tao
- Information supplied by Yahoo! helped journalist Shi Tao get 10 years in prison Reporters Without Borders press release on Shi Tao
- The Case of Shi Tao (师涛) summary of Shi Tao's situation by blogger EastSouthWestNorth
Multimedia
Campaigns
- BooYahoo! boycott campaign directed at Yahoo! for the company's role in Shi's imprisonment and other Internet repression
