A Chinese court on Thursday rejected leading dissident Liu Xiaobo's appeal against an 11-year prison sentence for subversion, prompting new calls for his release from EU and US officials, dpa reported.
Liu had lodged his appeal following a Beijing court's decision on December 25 to imprison him on charges of "inciting subversion of state power."
The charges against Liu related to his organization of Charter '08, a blueprint for the transformation of Communist-ruled China into a liberal democracy, and to political essays he posted on the internet.
Reacting to Thursday's rejection of Liu's appeal, the European Union said the decision was "entirely incompatible with his right to freedom of expression".
"The EU calls on the Chinese government unconditionally to release Mr Liu and to end the harassment and detention of other signatories of Charter '08," an EU statement said.
Jon Huntsman, the US ambassador to China, said his government was "disappointed" and urged that Liu "should be released immediately."
"We have raised our concerns about Mr Liu's detention repeatedly and at high levels, both in Beijing and in Washington, since he was taken into custody over a year ago," Huntsman said in a statement.
"Persecution of individuals for the peaceful expression of political views is inconsistent with internationally recognized norms of human rights," he said.
Liu's arrest and imprisonment drew widespread condemnation from Western politicians and human rights groups.
Several Chinese rights activists noted that Thursday's verdict coincided with the 20th anniversary of former South African president and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela's release from prison after 27 years.
In Charter '08, 303 leading dissidents, activists and writers set out their ideals for building a democratic nation and lamented a lack of "freedom, equality and human rights" under the ruling Communist Party.
The charter is modelled on the Charter '77 written by intellectuals in the former Czechoslovakia.
Former Czech Republic president Vaclav Havel, who signed Charter '77 as a dissident writer, also joined the calls for Liu's freedom.
More than 150 leading US and European-based intellectuals, including award-winning writers Salman Rushdie, Umberto Eco, Seamus Heaney and Hari Kunzru, issued an open letter calling for Liu's release in late 2008.
Earlier this month, 91 Czech and Slovak lawmakers nominated Liu for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
Liu, 54, a writer and critic, was previously imprisoned for his role in China's 1989 democracy movement.
He was detained again in December 2008, shortly before the release of Charter '08, which he co-organized.
Liu was also charged with writing six articles in which he criticized the dictatorial rule of the Communist Party.
The Chinese Human Rights Defenders quoted Liu as saying before his trial that he believed his prosecution violated the Chinese constitution as well as international human rights conventions.
"The day will come when China becomes a free, democratic country," the group quoted Liu as saying via his lawyers. "For an intellectual fighting for that freedom, prison is the first threshold, and I have already crossed that threshold."
China upholds 11-year sentence for leading dissident
