China Sentences Prominent Dissident 11 Years

BEIJING – A Chinese court has sentenced a prominent dissident to 11 years in jail on subversion charges after he called for sweeping political reforms and an end to Communist Party dominance.

The verdict was issued Friday at the No. 1 Intermediate People's Court in Beijing after a two-hour trial Wednesday where prosecutors accused Liu of "serious" crimes.

The sentencing of Liu Xiaobo comes despite international appeals for his release, which China sternly rejected as interference in its internal affairs.

Liu was the co-author of an unusually direct appeal for political liberalization in China called Charter 08. He was detained just before it was released last December. More than 300 people, including some of China's top intellectuals, signed it.