In a secretive trial lasting less than four hours, China Wednesday convicted a leader of the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests of trying to overthrow the communist government.
Wang Dan, 27, was found guilty of "conspiring to subvert the Chinese government" and sentenced to 11 years in prison, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said.The guilty verdict was almost a foregone conclusion - most criminal trials in China result in convictions.
Xinhua said Wang, who spent 3 1/2 years in prison for his 1989 activities, had violated his parole, colluded with hostile overseas organizations and endangered state security. He allegedly committed those crimes by writing essays critical of the government, aiding other dissidents in financial difficulties and accepting foreign aid.
Xinhua accused Wang of colluding with Wei Jingsheng. Wei, one of the country's boldest advocates of democracy and human rights, was convicted in December of trying to overthrow the government and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
The government has all but crushed the dissident movement in recent years. It has tried and sentenced most activists or detained them for up to three years in labor camps without trials.
Wang was detained in May 1995. He was only formally arrested and indicted on Oct. 3. He is thought to be in poor health, suffering from throat and prostate ailments. During his 17-month-long detention, he was not allowed to see relatives until this month, when his mother was permitted one visit because she was one of two people allowed to defend him.
Wang Lingyun said her son wants to appeal the verdict.
"His actions were not criminal," she said in a telephone interview. "This is so inconceivable."
Although it said the trial was "public," the government ignored international protests and kept the proceedings secret, refusing to admit foreign observers.