Battle for net control Mr Huang was arrested on 3 June last year, on the eve of the anniversary of the 1989 army killings of pro-democracy protesters. Ten days before the 4 June anniversary the website carried several dozen items about the 1989 crackdown, including a call by a woman for the trial of the Li Peng, the senior Communist Party official widely seen as being responsible for the violence. Mr Huang's trial has drawn international attention because it highlights the struggle by the Chinese authorities to promote the commercial potential of the internet while controlling political content. Without Borders sent a letter to Sichuan Governor Zhang Zhongwei calling for Mr Huang's acquittal and immediate release. Internet use has boomed in China - the number of users doubled in the first eight months of 2000 to 16.9 million.
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