SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- China has extended its crackdown on dissent to the Internet, putting a computer whiz on trial Friday for giving e-mail addresses to an online pro-democracy magazine.
The case is the first prosecution of its kind in the ruling Communist Party's attempt to exploit the Internet commercially while crushing attempts to turn it into a forum for dissent.Lin Hai, a Shanghai software company owner, is accused of subversion for giving addresses for 30,000 Chinese computer users to "VIP Reference," a pro-democracy journal published on the Internet by Chinese dissidents in the United States.
Hai, arrested in March, appeared in a closed courtroom Friday with two defense lawyers to face the subversion charges. The trial ended after four hours, defense lawyer Wang Wenjiang said, adding that the court could take a week to issue a verdict,
"I'm afraid it doesn't look good for Lin Hai. I think he's going to be found guilty," Wang said.
Lin's wife Xu Hong failed to arrive as planned Friday outside the courthouse, leading to fears that she may have been detained by police.
A man's voice shouted "Hang up! Hang up!" when Xu was reached on her mobile telephone Friday. After that, the line went dead and was switched off.
Outside the court, police and plainclothes officers watched foreign reporters, who were not allowed inside the courthouse gate.
Reporters also were shooed away from the suburban neighborhood where Xu had been staying. When one man was asked whether police had warned residents not to talk to reporters, he nodded yes.
Xu had appealed for an open trial for her husband. She had also written to President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji asking for their help, but said she received no reply.
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing expressed concern that the trial was closed and urged China to "fully respect international human rights standards," spokesman Bill Palmer said.
The group Human Rights in China demanded Lin's release and called the trial a "blatant violation of the right to freedom of expression."
Chinese efforts to police the Internet include technology meant to block access to sites deemed subversive or pornographic. Service providers are required to register all users with the government.