China: Court Upholds Jail Sentence of Nobel Laureate's Relative
A Chinese court has upheld what some see as a politically motivated prison sentence against the brother-in-law of imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.
Liu Hui was sentenced in June to 11 years in jail for alleged fraud related to a real estate dispute. He has rejected the charges, calling them retribution for his family's activism.
His brother, Liu Tong, told reporters he is disappointed at the ruling by the court in Huairou county, northeast of Beijing.
"This result fundamentally will make anyone angry, especially family members. Because at its heart, it's a miscarriage of justice," he said. The government says daily it wants to prevent wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice from happening, but everyone in our circle knows this is a miscarriage of justice."
Liu's lawyer says his client was not upset or surprised by the ruling, saying he was "psychologically prepared" to lose the appeal.
His sister is Liu Xia, the wife of the Nobel laureate. She has been held without charge under effective house arrest since her husband won the peace prize in 2010.
Liu Xiaobo was awarded the peace prize for his activism in support of peaceful democratic change in China, which is under a one-party communist political system. He was sentenced in 2009 to 11 years in prison for "subversion."
His case has attracted international headlines and prompted outrage from governments around the world. A court rejected his appeal in 2010.
China's Communist Party-controlled courts have convicted a rising number of activists in recent years on subversion or incitement of subversion charges.
Source: Voice of America
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