Yahoo Inc. Chief Executive Jerry Yang wants U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to help get two Chinese journalists out of prison — where they’ve been since Yahoo complied with Chinese investigators.

Yang’s inquiry, faxed to Rice on Thursday daylight, is the company’s latest effort to repair its reputation after U.S. lawmakers and human rights advocates accused it of collaborating with an oppressive regime.

Yahoo additionally helped set up a human rights fund to supply humanitarian and legal aid to dissidents who have been imprisoned for expressing their views online.

In November, the company settled a lawsuit brought by the families of the Chinese journalists, who were each sentenced to 10-year prison terms for allegedly leaking state secrets and political writings. Yahoo had said it had to comply with a ask from Chinese authorities to share data about the online activities of the two Chinese nationals.

Rice is leading a U.S. delegation to South Korea, China and Japan from

Feb. 23-28. She is scheduled to meet with senior officials in all three countries to discuss stalled North Korean nuclear disarmament and other issues.

Those discussions will include human rights, said Nancy Beck, a State branch spokeswoman. Beck would not confirm receipt of Yang’s letter.

In the letter to Rice, Yang wrote that the company “deeply regrets the circumstances” that led to the jailing of the two journalists. He said it runs counter to company values.

“We know we have an crucial role to play in advocating for the release of these political dissidents; we are additionally aware of the limits of private American companies engaging in foreign policy,” he wrote.

Yang called the State branch to take the lead and “actively pursue the release of Shi Tao, Wang Xiaoning and other Chinese dissidents who have been imprisoned for exercising internationally recognized rights of expression.”

Since 2006, U.S. lawmakers have railed…

Original post by Chris Davies