BEIJING: A Chinese court on Sunday sentenced the brother-in-law of jailed Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in prison on charges of fraud, his lawyer said.
Police had detained Liu Hui in January on suspicion of committing fraud in connection with a real-estate deal. Attorney Mo Shaoping told AFP that Liu Hui was sentenced at a court in Beijing.
"The sentence is based on insufficient evidence and is completely unjust," Mo said, adding that Liu would appeal.
Liu Hui is the brother-in-law of Chinese political activist Liu Xiaobo, who was jailed for 11 years in 2009 for "subversion" after he circulated a charter calling for democratic reforms. Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.
The Nobel winner's wife, Liu Xia, attended the trial Sunday, Mo said. She left home in April after years under house arrest to attend her brother's opening trial session.
"Liu Xia is very outraged by the sentence and thinks it's completely political persecution," Mo said.
An official who answered the phone at the court could not immediately confirm the sentence.
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