News: US queries China over alleged mistreatment of dissident in prison

Some people are simply braver than the rest of us when it comes to things they believe in.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The United States is asking China for more information on a US-based Chinese dissident allegedly being abused in a Beijing jail, the State Department said.

Yang Jianli, 40, a US resident on a Chinese blacklist of people barred from entry, was detained in April 2002 after he traveled to China on a friend’s passport in an attempt to observe ongoing labor unrest.

He was tried on charges of espionage in August 2003, but no verdict was reached.

“We are aware of reports that Yang has been mistreated in prison after he took actions to protest the lack of a verdict in his case,” a State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“We are seeking further information about his situation,” he said, stressing that “senior state department officials have repeatedly raised our concerns and urged the Chinese government to release Dr Yang back to his family in the United States.”

Yang, a father of two, is the founder and president of the Foundation for China in the 21st Century, which seeks to promote democracy.

He has been engaged in attempts to promote understanding among China’s various ethnic groups, including the majority Han, the Tibetans and the Turkic-speaking Uighurs.

China’s handling of the case has been widely criticized by US lawmakers and administration officials, with Congress having passed non-binding resolutions calling for Yang’s release.

China has suspended human rights dialogue with the United States after Washington announced last month it would sponsor a resolution criticizing its rights record during the United Nations Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva.

The resolution was blocked at the meeting last week and there was no vote.