Investigative journalist Chen Yongzhou was sentenced to one year and four months in prison today and fined RMB 20,000 for reports he wrote critical of a state-controlled construction equipment maker.
A court in Changsha, Hunan found Chen guilty of defamation and bribery after writing in Guangzhou-based New Express that Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science and Technology Co Ltd had engaged in sales fraud, exaggerated its profits, and used PR to defame its competitors, allegations which the Changsha-based company had denied.
Detained for tarnishing Zoomlion's reputation, Chen later appeared on state TV to confess that he accepted bribes for fabricating his stories. Zoomlion publicly accused competitor Sany Group of planting the stories, but Sany has denied any wrongdoing. Journalist jailed for defamation and bribery after writing reports critical of state-owned construction firm
New Express made the bold move last year to publish two front-page appeals for police to release Chen, attracting public attention to his plight.
The Changsha court said that Chen had accepted bribes of RMB 30,00 but would not say who from, heightening suspicions amongst some that he is merely being punished for being too critical of a government-owned firm.
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