Boxun News’ Editor Interviewed on Journalist Sun Lin’s prison sentence

By WAN
Jul 10, 2008 - 3:10:27 PM

Source: http://www.wan-press.org/china/articles.php?id=382
“Sun Lin is innocent. There is no evidence against him. He received an unlawful sentence. I am furious. Sun Lin is a reporter with high ethical standards. I consider the sentence shameful.” Watson Meng, founding editor of Boxun News, does not mince words when commenting on the recent four-year prison sentence handed to Sun Lin, a contributor to the US-based news site, which is considered as one of the most important and reliable information sources on China. Sun Lin is one of several contributors to Boxun News that have been sentenced to prison in China over the past years.
WAN: With the approach of the Olympic Games, China seems to increase their pressure on Chinese journalists and cyber reporters. What are your thoughts on this?
Watson Meng: The Chinese government is using the Olympics to show the world its achievements in different areas. They have made many aesthetic improvements, such as painting the street side facades of buildings. Independent media like Boxun News report the truth. Some aspects of the truth - such as reports on corruption and human rights violations - ruin the government’s reputation. This is why the clampdown of the Chinese government on independent media is logical.

WAN: Sun Lin is a regular contributor to Boxun News. What are your reactions to his sentence?
Watson Meng: The sentence has to be considered a punishment for his reporting. Sun Lin is innocent. There is no evidence against him. He received an unlawful sentence. I am furious. Sun Lin is a reporter with high ethical standards, who works for free for Boxun. I consider the sentence shameful.

WAN: Do you have any information about the conditions of his detention?
Watson Meng: From time to time he has received money and clothes from his family. Both He Fang (his wife) and Sun Lin have been denied the right to receive visits from their families since their arrests on 30 May 2007. They are working in jail. However, they still need the money their families send them. This is unacceptable, as is the fact that their families have not been authorized to visit them for over one year.

WAN: Sun Lin has been charged for “disturbing the social order” and “concealing a weapon”. What do you think about this sentence?
Watson Meng: The charge for “disturbing the social order” comes from an incident in 2004, about which many questions were raised during the trial. [Editors’ note: Sun Lin helped people evicted from their homes.] Assuming that the charges were correct, Sun was hired by the City Garden Company at the time and therefore it should have been a civil case. There is no evidence supporting the fact that Sun’s behaviour was reprehensible. In addition, during the whole event, the police was on site. If anything went wrong, the police should have intervened. The charge only indicates that Sun is a good person and that the government had a hard time to find something to charge him. This is why they are using an incident which happened four years ago. Concerning the charge for “concealing a weapon,” there was no weapon in Sun’s home or car. Sun does not even know a person who owns a weapon. Sun denied both charges.

WAN: Has Sun Lin’s family received any threats?
Watson Meng: His family members are under pressure. They are very careful and do not speak a lot. Following Sun’s arrest, his sister lost her position in the police administration where she had a high-ranking position.

WAN: Boxun News, as one of the most important alternative Chinese news sources, is a constant target of the Chinese authorities. Have you noticed a recent change in frequence, or type of attacks against the news site?
Watson Meng: The website was severely attacked last year. This year, there has been no identified significant attack. We are certain of the organized nature of the attacks, because it lasted a long period and many websites were affected. This could not have been the result of attacks made by individuals, since important resources were needed to carry it out.

 

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