Zhao Yan Appeals Conviction of Fraud, Insists on Innocence

赵岩对欺诈罪提上诉坚持无辜

Zhao Yan, a Chinese researcher for the New York Times newspaper, has appealed his conviction on fraud charges, insisting he is innocent. The lawyer for Zhao Yan said he filed the appeal Monday. A Beijing court convicted Zhao on the fraud charges on August 25. At the same time it acquitted him on a charge of leaking state secrets.

Zhao Yan was charged with leaking state secrets after the publication of an article in the New York Times that correctly predicted former president Jiang Zemin would resign as head of the country's armed forces. The fraud charge for which he was convicted involved an unrelated 2001 incident when he was working as a journalist for a Chinese publication. China remains the world's leading jailer of journalists, with at least 32 reporters in prison.

纽约时报驻北京分社的研究员赵岩对其“欺诈罪”的罪名提出上诉，坚持他是无辜的。赵岩的律师说，他星期一提出了上诉。北京的一家法庭在8月25号判定赵岩犯有“欺诈罪”，但是“泄露国家机密”的指控被取消。

纽约时报刊登的一篇文章正确预言前中国国家主席江泽民将辞去中央军委主席的职务后赵岩被指控犯有“泄露国家机密罪”。赵岩被判欺诈罪和2001年发生的另一起事件有关。当时赵岩是一家中国出版物的记者。中国是世界上关押记者最多的国家，目前至少有32名记者在监狱。