But Zhao’s conviction, like the mistreatment of other Chinese whistleblowers, sends the message that when faced with a perceived threat to social stability, China’s legal institutions are not up to the task of providing basic protections to its citizens. A discussion thread on the case on Tianya, a popular Chinese Internet portal, was soon flooded with comments expressing bafflement and outrage at the verdict.
但对赵连海的判决，正如对国内其他揭发者的迫害那样，传达了一个信息：每当面对一个可能影响社会稳定的威胁时，中国的法律制度似乎并不会为公民提供基本的保护。在著名的天涯网络论坛上，关于这起案件的讨论帖很快就被网友的迷惑和愤慨所淹没了。