Lawyer says Beijing court rejects appeal from Liu

[February 11, 2010]  BEIJING (AP) -- A court has rejected an appeal by Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo of his 11-year prison term handed down for subversion after he spearheaded a public declaration calling for an end to Communist Party dominance.

The appeal was turned down after a brief hearing at a Beijing court, attorney Shang Baojun said. Liu was sentenced on Dec. 25 to 11 years in prison on the vaguely defined charge of incitement to subvert state power.

Liu could have been sentenced to up to 15 years, but rights groups said even the 11-year sentence was a shock.

United States Ambassador Jon Huntsman repeated U.S. calls for Liu to be released, saying the original sentence was wrong.

"Persecution of individuals for the peaceful expression of political views is inconsistent with internationally recognized norms of human rights," Huntsman said in a statement. "We continue to call on the government of China to release him immediately and to respect the right of all citizens to peacefully express their political views and exercise internationally recognized freedoms."

Diplomats from 17 countries plus the European Union were outside the court Thursday. Simon Sharpe, the spokesman for the EU delegation in China, also called for Liu's release and the end of what he said was harassment of those who signed Liu's public declaration, called "Charter 08."

"The European Union believes that the verdict against Liu Xiaobo -- for his role as author of 'Charter 08' and for publishing articles concerning human rights on the Internet -- is entirely incompatible with his right to freedom of expression," Sharpe said.

China says Liu's case is an internal affair.

Liu's wife, Liu Xia, said she was not surprised by the court decision. She said the only thing her husband said inside the court during the appeal hearing was "I am innocent."

Liu co-wrote "Charter 08," an unusually direct appeal to China's authorities calling for expanded political freedoms and the end to Communist Party dominance. More than 300 people, including some of the country's top intellectuals, signed it before it was made public in December 2008.

Liu was taken away by police just before it was released. Other signers of Charter 08 have reported being harassed or fired.

The vaguely worded charge of inciting to subvert state power is routinely used to jail dissidents in China. Liu could have been sentenced for up to 15 years, but rights groups said even the 11-year sentence was a shock.

Liu, a former university professor, previously spent 20 months in jail for joining the 1989 student-led protests in Tiananmen Square, which ended when the government called in the military -- killing hundreds, perhaps thousands of demonstrators.

[Associated Press; By CARA ANNA]

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