China has rushed through the trial of human rights activist Hu Jia in advance of the summer’s Olympic Games, sentencing him to three and a half years for criticising the Communist Party.
Hu had written articles on overseas websites and given interviews to the world’s media highlighting human rights abuses in the country - such as the treatment of HIV victims, restrictions on religious freedom and the crisis in Tibet - and was found guilty of “inciting subversion of state power”.
The foreign ministry defended the verdict, and accused critics of interfering in China’s internal affairs.
“We hope sports fans from all over the world will be encouraged to come to the Beijing Games,” said a government spokesman. “They need have no fear of encountering this dangerous criminal on the streets any more, knowing there is now no danger of arrest and getting thrown into jail for being an inadvertent accessory to his evil counter-revolutionary propaganda.”
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