BEIJING, March 25 (UPI) -- A Chinese political dissident who spent nine years in prison has been given a new 10-year sentence for writing essays supporting democracy, officials said.
A Chinese court sentenced Liu Xianbin after convicting him of "inciting subversion of state power," The New York Times said Friday.
Government officials said Liu's work slandered the ruling Communist Party and is part of an effort to end its monopoly on power.
In the past few weeks, nearly two dozen writers, lawyers and civil rights advocates have been detained on similar charges -- and 11 people have vanished after being taken into police custody, the report said.
"To have this many people disappeared or facing subversion charges is unprecedented and very worrying," said Wan Songlian, a researcher with Chinese Human Rights Defenders. "People are very scared."
Liu's attorney, Mo Shaoping, said his client did nothing wrong.
He said Liu's writings are protected under the Chinese constitution guaranteeing the right to free speech.
"Not only is this sentence wrong and unfair but it is a total abuse of judicial procedure," Mo said.
