Southern Metropolis News manager Yu Huafeng had his prison sentence reduced from 12 to eight years and fellow manager Li Minying had his jail term reduced from 11 to six years, after the two appealed. They were convicted of bribery and embezzlement in the Dongshan District Court in March after being arrested in December last year. The Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court heard their appeals and reduced the charges but did not say why the terms were reduced. Southern Metropolis News Editor-in-Chief Cheng Yizhong is also awaiting trial for charges of embezzlement. The charges are widely considered to be a request by Guangzhou officials to punish the newspaper for running a story exposing police brutality in Guangzhou which resulted in the death of a student last year. Yu Huafeng plans to continue to appeal the charges.