Wife says activist tried in ChinaAudra Ang Aug. 4, 2003 | BEIJING (AP) -- A Boston-based democracy activist held in China for more than a year was tried Monday on charges that he spied for Taiwan, but no verdict was handed down, his wife and a defense lawyer said. Yang Jianli pleaded innocent during the three-hour, closed trial at the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court, said defense attorney Mo Shaoping. A court spokesman said he couldn't confirm whether the trial took place because it was closed to the public. Yang, a Chinese citizen with permanent U.S. residency, was detained in April 2002 after visiting China to meet other activists and laid-off workers. He was using a friend's passport and also faces a less serious charge of entering the country illegally.
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