A Chinese court has sentenced an outspoken activist to three-and-a-half years in prison on charges of subversion.
The Beijing court sentenced 34-year-old Hu Jia Thursday, several days after he was tried on an official charge of "inciting subversion of state power."
Hu is an advocate for AIDS patients and the environment, and has been a vocal critic of China's human rights records. His articles on an overseas Chinese-language website, and interviews with foreign journalists, led to the charges against him.
Hu was detained by police last December after spending more than 200 days under house arrest at his Beijing apartment complex known as "Freedom City."
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing says it is dismayed by Hu's sentence.
The embassy urges Beijing to "seize the opportunity" to improve its record on human rights and religious freedom as the Beijing Olympics approach.
Amnesty International says the upcoming Beijing Olympics have failed to bring human rights improvements to China. The London-based rights group said Tuesday the Olympics instead have been a catalyst for the current wave of repression against activists in China.
Another prominent Chinese dissident, Yang Chunlin, was sentenced to five years in prison late last month on similar charges.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
