Yahoo Settles Lawsuit Over Jailed Chinese Dissidents

[LeighAnn]

Source: Washington Post

Yahoo settled today with the families of two Chinese dissidents imprisoned after the company helped identify them to the Chinese government. The terms of the settlement are not being disclosed and Yahoo is not admitting fault, an attorney for the families said.

The announcement comes just a week after lawmakers called Yahoo executives moral "pygmies" for not assisting the families of Chinese prisoners Shi Tao and Wang Xiaoning. Both men were sentenced to 10-year terms for crimes against the state after Yahoo handed over their e-mail records to Chinese officials. Their families sued Yahoo last April in U.S. federal court.

"The pressures by Congress on Jerry Yang were of tremendous importance to making this settlement happen," said Morton Sklar, executive director of the World Organization for Human Rights USA, which is representing the families. He said a recent court decision requiring Yahoo to disclose proprietary information about its China operations likely also sped up the process, as did Yahoo's interest in being seen as a company that promotes human rights.

"It was clear to me in working with them that this was not the position they wanted to be in," Sklar said. "They are committed to keeping the Internet free, and they did not like being put in the position of making excuses for their involvements in human rights abuses on the Internet."



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/13/AR2007111300885.html