Congress Searches for Answers From Yahoo

Nov. 6, 2007— -- Executives from Internet giant Yahoo Inc. testified before a congressional panel Tuesday, defending the company's actions that led to the jailing of a dissident journalist in China.

Yahoo China turned over documents relating to Shi Tao, a dissident journalist, at the request of the Beijing State Security Bureau.

Shi Tao was later sentenced to 10 years in prison for pro-democracy efforts after the documents showed evidence of his online activity.

Yahoo CEO and co-founder Jerry Yang and general counsel Michael Callahan told the House Foreign Affairs Committee that they regretted the company's decision to turn over the records but noted that the company had acted in compliance with an official request under Chinese law.

Yang and Callahan also apologized to the committee with regard to Callahan's previous testimony at a subcommittee hearing in February 2006.

At that time, Callahan testified under oath that the company did not know the information provided to the Chinese government would be used in a case against a dissident journalist in a political case.

Subsequent investigations by committee staff uncovered that the Chinese State Police's request for information involved "state secrets," a term committee chairman Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., said was a "trick phrase" used to fabricate a case against innocent individuals.

Committee members criticized Yahoo for not correcting the record after the discrepancy was discovered in October 2006.

Lantos blasted the Yahoo officials, calling the facts "embarrassing and appalling." He added that the case was "no misunderstanding. It was inexcusably negligent behavior at best and deliberately deceptive behavior at worst."

He urged them to apologize directly to the mother of the jailed Chinese journalist who was seated in the front row of the hearing, directly behind the witnesses.

When they bowed to her she returned the gesture but began to cry in her seat.