Critical bloggers on defamation charges

A Sichuan man who described local officials as "scum of the nation" is among two Chinese citizens before the courts charged with defaming government officials.

Deng Yonggu, 34, from Pengxi, and Wu Baoquan, 39, from the Inner Mongolia autonomous region accused their local governments of illegal acquisition of farmland in separate postings on the Internet.

Wu - who has already been found guilty and is serving a two-year jail term - was this week given hope that his sentence would be adjusted when the Ordos prefecture intermediate court said it would review his case. He was initially jailed for one year after being found guilty of defaming Ordos government officials in a post on his blog last year.