Microsoft says not involved in China journalist case

BEIJING, Mar 7: Microsoft Corp, MSFT.O said today it had no involvement in the case of a Chinese journalist charged with sending subversive e-mails abroad under a psuedonym using a Hotmail account.

The indictment of Li Yuanlong, a 45-year-old reporter, follows accusations that Internet giant Yahoo Inc. provided evidence to Chinese authorities that led to the imprisonment of two journalists.

''Based on an internal review of the information available, we have no involvement in this matter,'' said Brian Zhou, an official with Microsoft China's public relations agency.

Zhou said Microsoft, which owns Hotmail, had no information as to how the Chinese government may have identified Li, who sent the e-mails last year using the pseudonyms ''Night Wolf'' or ''Wolf Howling in the Night''.

Li could stand trial as early as this week, his lawyer said, charged with sending essays that ''fabricated, distorted and exaggerated facts, incited to subvert the state and sought to overthrow the socialist system''.

In December, Microsoft shut down a blog at MSN Spaces belonging to outspoken blogger Michael Anti, bowing to Chinese government orders -- among a wave of cases that have highlighted the pitfalls for Internet companies doing business in the Communist country and the world's number-two Internet market.

Last month, lawyers and activists accused Yahoo of providing evidence to Chinese authorities that led to the imprisonment of an Internet writer, the second such case involving the U.S.

Internet giant.

Google Inc. also came under fire after it announced it would block politically sensitive terms on its new China site.

REUTERS