China: Blogger jailed for spreading rumors online. --And fined him 350,000 yuan ($56,035) for illegal business operation

An Internet blogger was sentenced to six and a half years in prison on Wednesday for spreading online rumors and provoking troubles.

The district court of Wuhua in Kunming, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, sentenced Dong Rubin to six and a half years in jail and fined him 350,000 yuan ($56,035) for illegal business operation and provoking troubles, reported chinanews.com.cn on Wednesday.

Dong was charged with provoking troubles for fabricating and spreading rumors online about the Mekong River attack, in which 13 sailors were murdered on October 5, 2011 by a Myanmar drug lord and his gang members.

His hostile attack and defamation of the government's image severely disturbed public order and resulted in a bad social impact, said the court.

• Dong said on Wednesday he will lodge an appeal. 

Dong, also known online as Bianmin, became well-known for questioning the authorities' methods of enforcing the law in response to influential social events since 2009.

Hou Peng, Dong's co-conspirator, was sentenced to three years in prison with a three-year reprieve and was fined 50,000 yuan ($8,005) for operating an illegal business.

Chinese authorities in 2013 launched a crackdown on online rumormongers, arresting several online bloggers for similar offenses.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/872312.shtml
23/7/14
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