A lawyer for Chinese human rights activist Hu Jia , sentenced in early April to over three years in prison on charges of inciting subversion of state power, says that his client has been denied an appeal. Hu had 10 days to appeal his conviction, but Hu’s legal team was not allowed to visit Hu in prison to discuss an appeal. Hu was formally charged in February after he made public letters and recordings from Chinese lawyer Gao Zhisheng alleging that Gao was tortured into confessing to subversion charges.

Background

Hu supporter Teng Biao, a lawyer who has defended political dissidents, was released by the Chinese government last month after spending two days in custody. In September 2007, Teng and Hu wrote an open letter requesting that the international community investigate China’s promises to improve its human rights record. In November 2007, the rights group Dui Hua reported that the number of political arrests in China has more than doubled in 2006 . The country has been harshly criticized in recent months for cracking down on human rights activists and political dissidents ahead of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

China Steps Up Crackdown in Tibet

China is intensifying its crackdown on Tibet after the largest anti-Chinese protests there in almost 50 years. Reports from remote Qinghai province this week state that authorities have arrested Tibetan feminist and writer Jamyang Kyi as well as five other Qinghai Tibetan community leaders.

The five are Golog Dape, a popular comedian, leader of the Gangchen performance group, and animal rights activist; Dolma Kyi, a singer, activist, and founder of the folk-music company Gangchen Metok; Palchen Kyab, principal of the private Mayul Dargye school, founded with donations from Tibetan nomads; Lhundrup, Mayul Dargye’s assistant principal; and Sonam Dorje, a teacher.

Golok prefecture State Security Bureau officers took the five into custody March 31, and are now being held in the provincial capital, Xining .

No information on charges against them was available. “No relatives have been allowed to visit them.”