China Finds Wu Guilty Of Spying

A Chinese court today found American human rights activist Harry Wu guilty of spying and other charges and sentenced him to 15 years in prison.

The court also said Wu will be expelled from China, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said.

Under Chinese law, Wu first must serve the prison sentence.

Wu has the right to appeal within 10 days, Xinhua said. However, appeals in China virtually never change the verdict.

The White House had been hoping for progress in Wu’s case while struggling to decide whether first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton should visit China in September to attend an international women’s conference.

Wu, a U.S. citizen, was dedicated to exposing China’s extensive penal colonies. He emigrated in 1985 after serving 19 years in labor camps for criticizing the Communist Party.

Wu was taken into custody June 19 trying to enter China from Kazakhstan and formally was arrested July 8 on charges of spying. He later was taken to Wuhan, a city in central Hubei province.