Paper published by Communist Party endorses charge against veteran journalist Gao Yu

A newspaper published by the Communist Party has endorsed charges against a journalist accused of leaking state secrets.

The Global Times said yesterday that Gao Yu was clearly guilty of leaking an internal party document on ideological instruction. It said such documents were classified as secret unless the party decided to make them available to the general public.

The editorial also took aim at overseas criticism of Gao's case, calling it part of a campaign to smear China's reputation.

Gao, 70, denied the charges in a closed-door hearing on Friday. She faces a maximum sentence of death. The document in question is believed to outline curbs on the spread of Western civil liberties in China.

Known for her critical commentaries on party leaders, Gao, who has spent seven years in jail, was detained ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown.