China charges four intellectuals with subversion

BEIJING, China -- China has charged four intellectuals with subversion after they set up a study group and used the Internet to discuss political reform, a human rights group said.

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It is not known exactly when the four -- a reporter, an Internet engineer, a geologist and a freelance writer -- were charged, but they were arrested March 13 in Beijing, the Information Center for Human Rights & Democracy said on Monday.

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The arrest of the four follows on the heels of five Chinese academics with overseas nationality or residency being detained in China over recent months. One of them, U.S. Green Card holder Gao Zhan, has been formally charged with spying.

An official at the Beijing prosecutors' office refused to comment on Monday's report by the human rights group.

The four most recently detained set up the New Youth Society, which met to discuss reform of China's political system, particularly in rural areas where the Communist Party now allows limited elections, the Hong Kong-based center said.

The center did not say when the society was started, but it said the meetings drew many university students. Members also communicated through e-mail and posted essays on a Web site.

One of the four charged with subversion was Xu Wei, a reporter at the Consumer Daily, the center said. An official at the newspaper refused to confirm Xu had worked there or answer questions about him.

The others were identified as Internet engineer Yang Zili, geologist Jin Haike and Zhang Honghai, a freelance writer.

Another geologist also arrested on March 13 has since been released, the center said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.