BEIJING (AFP) — Leading Chinese dissident Hu Jia will not appeal a guilty verdict meted out to him for attempting to overthrow the Chinese government, his lawyer said Tuesday.
Li Jinsong said a Beijing intermediate court told him on Monday that Hu, who on Monday was made an honorary citizen of Paris, had decided not to appeal his April 3 conviction of inciting subversion of the state.
His three year and six month sentence will stand, Li said, adding: "I support Hu's decision."
Li last talked to Hu on April 4, when the activist indicated it would be futile to appeal.
Under Chinese law, Hu had 10 days after the initial verdict to appeal, but Li was prevented from meeting him on April 13, the last day for him to lodge an appeal.
Hu, who was arrested on December 27, has for years been one of China's highest-profile human rights campaigners, actively disseminating information from his home in Beijing about abuses.
China, however, has viewed his activities as a challenge to the ruling Communist Party's authority and he was found guilty of "incitement to subvert state power" following a one-day trial last month.
The charge related to the 34-year-old posting articles on the Internet about human rights issues and speaking to foreign reporters.
Chinese dissidents say his arrest is part of a broader crackdown on government critics to silence any potentially embarrassing dissent ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August.
Paris city hall bestowed the honorary citizenship on Hu with the Dalai Lama Monday, as the French government scrambled to ease bilateral tensions with Beijing.
The awards by the leftist city hall come amid moves by France's center-right government to ease Chinese ire over the chaotic torch relay in Paris earlier this month and French President Nicolas Sarkozy's threat to boycott the Games' opening ceremony.
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