Rights activist Hu Jia tried in Beijing

BEIJING, March 18 (UPI) -- A Beijing court Tuesday tried Internet rights activist Hu Jia on charges of insurrection against the Chinese government.

Chinese officials arrested Hu Dec. 27 in an apparent crackdown against dissenters ahead of the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

He was arrested following the publication of an open letter directing world attention to human rights concerns in China ahead of the Summer Games.

Prosecutors cited Hu's alleged subversions in statements and writings comparing the Chinese Communist Party with the mafia, urging more healthcare for AIDS patients and more freedom and autonomy for Tibet.

His lawyer, Li Fangping, claimed the Beijing court gave him only 20 minutes for his defense, while allowing prosecutors ample time to make their case, The Washington Post said Tuesday.

Li said the court would make a decision in about a week. Hu pleaded innocent to the charges, which carry a maximum five-year prison sentence.