In the spring of 1998 he was arrested in Shanghai and taken to a detention center, where he was held in isolation for 26 months before a Shanghai court convicted and sentenced him to 16 years in prison, with credit for the months he was detained.
Shao wasn't allowed to speak with his attorney before or during the trial, friends say. But at Qingpu, they say, Shao researched his case and accumulated evidence, including duplicate books that he kept in San Francisco that showed the accusations were false.
Shao's friends say he has made good use of his time at Qingpu, considered one of China's better prisons. Among other things, Shao is pursuing a law degree through a correspondence course offered by the University of Honolulu.
MBAs plot strategy
Even so, Shao's classmates say he was sorely missed at the recent reunion in Palo Alto. On that Saturday morning, several dozen alums gathered at the business school's main building and, like an MBA project, held a brainstorming session on Shao.
Their focus: how to make sure Shao is top priority for Washington when U.S.-China human rights dialogue resumes; and the possible legal remedies with the WTO and the United Nations.
"We're always hopeful," Hoover said.
Near the close of the Save Jude Shao presentation, Pappajohn read a letter from Shao to the class of '93.
"From the bottom of my heart, I say thank you," it began. "Without your support, I cannot imagine how I could have survived the ordeal to this day. . . . I'll see you all at our 20th reunion."
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don.lee@latimes.com
