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Chinese Dissident's Wife Appeals for Help in Blog Posting


The wife of jailed Chinese dissident Hu Jia is calling on anyone who can meet with China's President Hu Jintao to ask him if he thinks the verdict in her husband's case was fair.

Friday, in her first blog posting since her husband was sentenced to prison on Thursday, Zeng Jinyan, questioned the fairness of the verdict in the controversial case.

She also asked people across the country if they think articles Hu Jia wrote and interviews he gave prove that he subverted the state's power.

A Chinese court sentenced Hu Jia to three-and-a-half years in prison on charges of subversion of state power. The charges stem from five of Hu's articles on human rights in China and two interviews with foreign reporters.

The case has drawn international attention. The United States and European Union both called for his release.

Amnesty International said the upcoming Beijing Olympics have failed to bring human rights improvements to China. The London-based rights group last week argued the Olympics instead have been a catalyst for the current wave of repression against activists in China.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has defended the verdict, accusing China's critics of using human rights as an excuse to interfere in the country's internal affairs.

Hu was detained last December after spending more than 200 days under house arrest at his Beijing apartment.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

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