Reporters Without Borders protested today against the recent confirmationof a three-year prison sentence suspended for four years imposed oncyber-dissident Du Daobin on 11 June. (boxun.com)

"Placing him under house arrest for that time is a subtle punishmentbecause he risks being thrown in jail if he starts criticising the regimeagain," it said.

The official Chinese news agency Xinhua quoted the supreme people's courtof the Hubei region of central China as ruling the original sentence wasbased on "clear facts and sufficient evidence."

More information about Du Daobin at www.internet.rsf.org (boxun.com)