3RD LD: China jails rights activist Hu Jia, draws criticism

BEIJING, April 3 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH COMMENTS FROM HONG KONG)

A Chinese court on Thursday sentenced prominent civil rights activist Hu Jia to three and a half years in prison for subversion, immediately drawing a fresh round of criticism from the United States and human rights groups calling for his release.

The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court said the 34-year-old instigated subversion by talking to foreign journalists and posting articles on the Internet that are critical of China's human rights record, his lawyer Li Fangping said.

''The sentence is too severe,'' Li said, adding he will discuss with Hu the possibility of appealing. Hu has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Critics say China has been intimidating, arresting and jailing activists such as Hu in recent weeks to suppress opposition as the country prepares for the Beijing Olympics in August.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for Hu's immediate release when she visited Beijing in February. Several other Western governments have also pressed China over the case.

A spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing expressed dismay at the verdict.

''Mr. Hu has consistently worked within China's legal system to protect the rights of his fellow citizens. These types of activities support China's effort to institute the rule of law and should be applauded, not suppressed or punished,'' Susan Stevenson said.

''In this Olympic year, we urge China to seize the opportunity to put its best face forward and take steps to improve its record on human rights and religious freedom,'' she said.

Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based group working for press freedom, also said it was appalled by the sentence.

''The Chinese justice system has, at the behest of the authorities, thrown oil on the flames just four months ahead of the Olympic Games by imposing this sentence of Hu Jia, a figurehead of the peaceful struggle to improve respect for human rights in China,'' the group said in a statement.

But the Chinese government brushed off calls for Hu's immediate release.

''We cannot accept such views,'' Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a regular press conference, adding that Hu's case was dealt according to Chinese domestic laws.

''We cannot just not govern by law because we are hosting the Olympics,'' she said.

Outside the court on Thursday morning, about 50 people, including Hu's supporters and petitioners, gathered for the ruling.

Hong Kong media quoted Hu's wife Zeng Jinyan as saying Hu's health has deteriorated and she might request Hu's release on medical parole.

''From the perspective of free speech, China's laws have yet to reach international level,'' Cable TV quoted Hu's mother as saying.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association said in a statement it is infuriated by Hu's verdict, which ''infringes the freedom of speech and serves as a hideous example of conviction by one's speech.''

The association said China's Constitution stipulates Chinese people's right to freedom of press and publication, and that the verdict violated Hu's right to free speech.

It called for a retrial to exonerate Hu.

The court said Hu was found guilty of subversion by giving interviews to two foreign media organizations and by posting five articles on China's human rights record on the Internet.

Hu co-wrote an open letter last year, criticizing China's human rights record ahead of the Olympics.

One section of the letter said, ''When you come to the Olympic Games in Beijing, you will see skyscrapers, spacious streets, modern stadiums and enthusiastic people.''

''Please be aware that the Olympic Games will be held in a country where there are no elections, no freedom of religion, no independent courts,'' it said.

(Additional reporting by Matthew Lee in Hong Kong)

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