China Jails Prominent Activist

A Chinese court has jailed one of the government's most prominent critics for three and a half years on subversion charges, prompting an international outcry.

The US immediately criticized the ruling and the European Union called for the release of Hu Jia, a dissident who has pursued issues ranging from democratic rights, support for Aids sufferers and self-determination for Tibet.

Human rights groups also put pressure on the International Olympic Committee - currently in Beijing to finalize arrangements for the August games - to speak out about the repression of activists.

They warned that Hu's sentencing this morning reflected a systematic crackdown on critics ahead of the Olympics, pointing out that he is the third activist to be convicted on the same charge in just two months.

The 34-year-old had been held under house arrest in his flat at the Freedom City complex for more than 200 days before his detention in December. His wife and baby daughter remain under house arrest.

This morning, the Beijing Number One Intermediate People's Court found him guilty of "inciting subversion of state power" in articles he posted on the internet and in interviews with foreign reporters.

"It's the defence position that citizens have the right to free speech under the constitution and so the prosecution case shouldn't stand," one of his lawyers, Li Fangping, told reporters.

He said that the verdict was unfair because Hu's arguments were all peaceful and had nothing to do with subversion.

But while Hu pleaded not guilty, he had acknowledged to the court that some of his statements had been "excessive", Li said.

"In the end, I think that he came to accept that some of his statements were contrary to the law as it stands," another of his lawyers, Li Jinsong, said. "So to some extent he accepted the prosecution's allegations."

The official state news agency, Xinhua, said the sentence showed "leniency" because he had made a "confession of crime and acceptance of punishment".

The defence team has yet to decide whether to appeal and is considering a number of factors, such as how Hu's medical care would be affected. He suffers from long-term health problems.

The Chinese Human Rights Defenders network described the trial as a classic case of political persecution and warned that the IOC could not maintain its moral integrity if it continued to pretend that China was handling the Olympics in a non-political manner.

"For the Chinese authorities, the Olympics is a political game - if you criticize violations committed in the name of the game, then you are an enemy of the state," said Renee Xia, the group's international director.

Mark Allison of Amnesty International said the case betrayed Chinese promises that human rights would improve in the run-up to the Olympics.

Nicholas Bequelin of Human Rights Watch added: "Hu Jia's arrest was unjustified, his trial unfair, and his sentence unjust.

"The timing of the announcement of the verdict - right when the IOC is meeting in Beijing - highlights how complacent the IOC has been in disregarding human rights violations generated by the preparation of the games.

"The truth is that the moral void in which the IOC operates is harming the protection of human rights in China and elsewhere."

Bequelin said Hu's arrest had a chilling effect on dissent, adding: "It showed even the most well known activists would be arrested. Human rights activists have stopped their activities and stopped going public because they know it's a direct track to jail."