Chinese human rights activist jailed

Hu Jia, 34, a prominent activist who publicised human rights abuses across China has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

He has campaigned for the environment, religious freedom and for the rights of people with HIV and Aids and his case has been closely watched by Western observers. In remarks quoted on the BBC, the state-run news agency Xinhua said;

the court had been lenient with Mr Hu because he had admitted his crimes.

It continued that Jia had been jailed for spreading;

malicious rumours, libel and instigation in an attempt to subvert the state's political and socialist systems.

Critics of the Beijing government have accused it of cracking down on dissent in the lead-up to the Olympic games. Amnesty International has called for an end to what it calls a 'wave of repression'. However, the China Society for Human Rights has accused Amnesty of ignoring positive developments and being biased.