- For other usage, see Shitao
Shi Tao (born 25 July 1968) is a Chinese journalist who was imprisoned for releasing the text of internal Communist Party documents on the Internet. He had previously worked for the business daily Dangdai Shang Bao (Contemporary Business News) in Changsha.
In 2004, Shi emailed some notes regarding the government's instructions on handling media coverage of the Tiananmen Square anniversary. He was detained on 24 November 2004 and formally arrested on December 14 on a charge of leaking state secrets. Shi was found guilty in April 2005 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
The incident sparked a controversy about the business practices of Yahoo, whose Hong Kong arm provided technical information connecting the message and email account with Shi Tao's computer. Yahoo was criticized by Reporters Without Borders for acting as a "police informant".
Shi's mother, Gao Qinsheng, alleged "serious procedural defects" in her son's case, but his appeal was rejected without a hearing.
The Committee to Protect Journalists has awarded one of its 2005 International Press Freedom Awards to Shi Tao.
References
- Imprisoned journalist Shi Tao's family files for review of appeal - Committee to Protect Journalists
- Yahoo 'helped jail China writer' - BBC
- CPJ to Honour Press Freedom Defenders - IFEX