Three years in prison after writing Internet essays

This is an update from Washington Post for those who's been following the case of 1989 pro-democracy movement veteran Li Jianping.

Unconfirmed sources reported that Li, who was arrested in May 2005, had been convicted of subversion and sentenced to three years in prison after writing Internet essays critical of the communist government.

An earlier report by Radio Free Asia revealed that Li had published around 30 essays on overseas websites/news blogs criticising the Chinese political system. Some of his writings targeted specific Chinese political leaders such as Jiang Zemin and Wu Guanzheng. The charges against Li had been revised several times and his case was brought before the courts twice but was rejected for insufficient evidence before the prosecution finally went forward.