Founder of Chinese Website That Exposes Officials’ Corruption Sentenced to Five Years
The founder of a Chinese news site was convicted of “illegal business operations” and sentenced to five years in prison on Jan. 7.
Li Xinde, a news reporter since the 1980s, dedicates himself to exposing government corruption. The veteran citizen journalist founded China Public Opinion Surveillance Net on Oct. 1, 2003, a website that reports on alleged misconduct and corruption of Chinese officials.
The site gained popularity and international recognition in June 2004 when it published photos depicting Li Xin, then-deputy mayor of Jining city, Shandong Province, kneeling in front of his business partner, apparently begging her to stay silent. The report alleged that he laundered money, kidnapped and intimidated a female whistleblower, and generally abused his power as a public official.