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The Chinese authorities have postponed an informal trial date for a New York Times researcher accused of fraud and disclosing state secrets, his lawyer said Wednesday. The researcher, Zhao Yan, 44, who worked in the Beijing bureau of The New York Times, has been scheduled to stand trial on Thursday. His lawyer, Mo Shaoping, said the authorities had so far declined to set a new date for the start of proceedings. Zhao, a longtime journalist and social activist, has been in custody for 22 months without being brought before a court.
He denies the charges. The accusation that he disclosed state secrets is linked to a September 2004 article published in The Times that correctly predicted leadership changes at the top levels of the Chinese government, according to the indictment. Prosecutors have declined to discuss the case on the ground that it involves state secrets. Meanwhile, they have seemingly used every avenue available to them to postpone a trial while seeking further evidence from investigators. Zhao was detained Sept. 17, 2004, and formally arrested one month later. His case was handed over for prosecution in the spring of 2005 and he was formally indicted in December. Shortly before President Hu Jintao visited the United States in April, prosecutors withdrew the charges against Zhao. At the time, Mo believed that his client was to be released, but an almost identical indictment was issued last month. Mo said he was preparing to contest important elements of the evidence against Zhao. He also plans to challenge the way the case has been handled, including the prosecution's decision to renew the charges. Before his arrest, Zhao had worked for The Times for about four months. The Times has also denied that Zhao disclosed state secrets.
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