Chinese rights activist sentenced

An outspoken Chinese civil rights activist who dedicated himself to chronicling the plight of other dissidents has been sentenced to three and a half years in jail.



His lawyer said Hu Jia has 10 days to appeal the sentence, but that a decision on an appeal has not been made.



The 34 year old pleaded not guilty on charges of inciting subversion of state power at his trial last month.



Hu has been a vocal critic of china’s human rights record for years.



An impassioned AIDS and Environmental activist, he was confined to his Beijing apartment for more than 200 days before he was taken away by security agents on December 27.