Friday, December 25, 2009 BEIJING: A Beijing court on Friday sentenced leading dissident Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in prison for subversion, prompting the United States to accuse China of persecuting its political opponents. The 53-year-old Liu, a writer who was jailed over the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests, was tried on Wednesday for "inciting subversion of state power" after co-authoring a bold call for political reform last year. He co-wrote Charter 08, which calls for human rights protection and the reform of China's one-party communist system. It has been signed by more than 10,000 people, according to China Human Rights Defenders, an activist network. One of his lawyers, Ding Xikui, told media he was unsure whether Liu -- who has already been detained for a year -- would appeal. He had faced a maximum prison term of 15 years.
Friday, December 25, 2009 BEIJING: A Beijing court on Friday sentenced leading dissident Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in prison for subversion, prompting the United States to accuse China of persecuting its political opponents. The 53-year-old Liu, a writer who was jailed over the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests, was tried on Wednesday for "inciting subversion of state power" after co-authoring a bold call for political reform last year. He co-wrote Charter 08, which calls for human rights protection and the reform of China's one-party communist system. It has been signed by more than 10,000 people, according to China Human Rights Defenders, an activist network. One of his lawyers, Ding Xikui, told media he was unsure whether Liu -- who has already been detained for a year -- would appeal. He had faced a maximum prison term of 15 years.
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