Leading Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has appealed his conviction on subversion charges but is holding out only faint hopes that his 11-year prison term will be overturned, his lawyer said Monday.
"Liu Xiaobo directly handed his appeal over to the court on December 29," his lawyer, Shang Baojun, told AFP.
"After considering his case he decided to make the appeal effort, but he understands that there is not a big chance that the verdict will be changed."
Liu was convicted by a Beijing court on Christmas Day and sentenced to 11 years in jail for "inciting subversion of state power", prompting condemnation from the United States, the European Union and other Western governments.
Washington accused China of persecuting political opponents, with a US embassy official urging Beijing to "respect the rights of all Chinese citizens to peacefully express their political views".
China in turn slammed the West for meddling, saying the case — which included a trial that lasted just half a day — had been "handled in strict accordance with the law".
"We hope relevant countries will respect China's judicial independence and will not interfere in China's judicial sovereignty and internal affairs," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said after the verdict was handed down.
Liu was detained in December 2008 after co-authoring Charter 08, a bold manifesto calling for the reform of China's one-party communist system and the protection of human rights.
Rights groups lashed out at what they called a toughening of the political climate in China given the heavy jail term for Liu, a 54-year-old writer who was previously jailed over the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests.
Shang, who met with Liu on Monday, said under normal conditions the appeals trial should be held within one month of the appeal being lodged.
The lawyer urged the international community to continue calling for Liu's release, saying more pressure on Beijing could lead to a successful appeal or at least better prison treatment for the veteran dissident.
"We hope that everyone continues to make efforts to seek Liu's release," Shang said.
The subversion charge, which was also related to anti-government articles written by Liu that were posted on the Internet — is routinely brought against those who voice opposition to China's ruling Communist Party.
Rights activists accuse China of deliberately pushing such cases through the courts during the Western holiday season to attract less global attention.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said the case had cast an "ominous shadow" over Beijing's commitments to protect and promote human rights.
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