A Chinese court has jailed a prominent civil rights lawyer for 12 years on fraud charges, his lawyer says, a punishment rights advocates called retaliation for his defence of high-profile clients who had challenged the Government.
Key points:
- Xia Lin had represented artist Ai Weiwei
- Xia’s wife says sentence will be appealed
- Official court website makes no mention of case
Xia Lin, detained by Beijing police in November 2014, is the latest in a series of activists and lawyers to be sentenced as President Xi Jinping’s administration tightens control over civil society, citing a need to boost security and stability.
“Our defence maintained his inn…
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