This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8430409.stm

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Leading Chinese dissident jailed Leading Chinese dissident jailed
(about 2 hours later)
Leading Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been jailed for 11 years for "inciting subversion of state power", after a trial condemned in the West.Leading Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been jailed for 11 years for "inciting subversion of state power", after a trial condemned in the West.
The trial follows Mr Liu's co-authorship of a document last year calling for political reform.The trial follows Mr Liu's co-authorship of a document last year calling for political reform.
The EU, US and human rights groups have denounced the trial as political, but China accused them of meddling.The EU, US and human rights groups have denounced the trial as political, but China accused them of meddling.
Western diplomats and journalists were barred from the courthouse when the trial began on Wednesday.Western diplomats and journalists were barred from the courthouse when the trial began on Wednesday.
The BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing says the sentence shows China does not want anyone to challenge its authority.The BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing says the sentence shows China does not want anyone to challenge its authority.
'Release him'
"All I can tell you now is 11 years," the defendant's wife, Liu Xia, told reporters. Diplomats said they were told by Mr Liu's lawyers that he had been deprived of his political rights for a further two years.
Security was extremely tight outside the court in Beijing
There was immediate US reaction to the sentencing.
"We continue to call on the government of China to release him immediately and to respect the rights of all Chinese citizens to peacefully express their political views in favour of universally recognised fundamental freedoms," said embassy official Gregory May at the courthouse.
Mr May was one of a dozen diplomats - from the US, Canada, Australia and several European countries - stopped by authorities from attending the trial and sentencing.
"Persecution of individuals for the peaceful expression of political views is inconsistent with internationally recognised norms of human rights," Mr May said.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters this week that statements from embassies calling for Mr Liu's release were "a gross interference of China's internal affairs."
Singled out
Mr Liu is a prominent government critic and veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests.Mr Liu is a prominent government critic and veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests.
We should end the practice of viewing words as crimes Charter 08
A writer and former university professor, he has been in jail since 2008, after being arrested for writing a document known as Charter 08.A writer and former university professor, he has been in jail since 2008, after being arrested for writing a document known as Charter 08.
The charter called for greater freedoms and democratic reforms in China, including an end to Communist one-party rule.The charter called for greater freedoms and democratic reforms in China, including an end to Communist one-party rule.
Mr Liu is the only person to have been arrested for organising the Charter 08 appeal, but others who signed it have reported being harassed.
In earlier interviews with the BBC, co-signees of the Charter said they were ready to be punished alongside Mr Liu - not to admit they had done anything wrong but to stress their ideas were the same.
Abolishing the law on inciting to subvert state power is among the reforms advocated in Charter 08. "We should end the practice of viewing words as crimes," the petition says.
"[Mr Liu] has worked to try to find a way to allow the ordinary citizen to criticise the government or to make proposals to the government, on how the people can participate in government," the head of the law firm defending him, Mo Shaoping, told AFP.
"We pleaded not guilty - his crime is a crime of speech," he said.
More than 300 international writers including Salman Rushdie, Umberto Eco and Margaret Atwood have called for Liu's release, saying he should be allowed to express his opinion.