Lawyer says imprisoned Chinese journalist Gao Yu in poor health, taken to hospital

BEIJING – The lawyer for imprisoned Chinese journalist Gao Yu says she is in poor health and was recently taken to a hospital for examination.

Gao is serving a seven-year sentence on charges of leaking a document detailing the Communist Party leadership's resolve to aggressively target civil society and press freedoms seen as threats to the party's monopoly on power.

Lawyer Mo Shaoping said Thursday she was taken to Beijing's Anzhe Hospital last week and diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, heart problems and high blood pressure. He says Gao was given medication to control her condition.

Mo says he applied last week for medical parole on Gao's behalf that would allow her to serve the rest of her sentence at home. He says it's unclear whether that will be granted.