Inciting Subversion of State Power and the Socialist System

Further evidence of how much the Olympics are doing to spread the message of human rights, and act as a force for good:

A prominent activist who publicised human rights abuses across China has been convicted of subversion and jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Hu Jia, 34, was convicted of "inciting subversion of state power and the socialist system", his lawyer said.

He has long campaigned for the environment, religious freedom and for the rights of people with HIV and Aids....

Hu Jia's case has attracted a great deal of international attention, both from rights groups and Western diplomats.

Before his arrest late last year, he had been an outspoken critic of China's record on a variety of human rights issues.

Correspondents say he had become a kind of one-man clearing house for information, passing it on to journalists, organisations and foreign embassies.

Evidence presented against Mr Hu in court included interviews he gave to foreign media and political articles that he wrote for the internet, lawyer Li Fangping said....

Chinese state news agency Xinhua said the court had been lenient with Mr Hu because he had admitted his crimes.

"Hu spread malicious rumours, libel and instigation in an attempt to subvert the state's political and socialist systems," Xinhua said, quoting the court ruling.