Beijing court rejects appeal by Nobel laureate's Liu Xiaobo's brother-in-law
Liu Hui's appeal rejected in fraud case seen as example of retribution against nobel laureate
A Beijing court has upheld an 11-year prison sentence for the brother-in-law of jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo - a fraud case seen as an example of official retribution against the dissident's family.
Supporters of Liu Hui say his conviction in June was based on trumped-up fraud charges and aimed at thwarting the increased attention by the rights community on the plight of his sister, Liu Xia , who has remained under effective house arrest since her husband won the Nobel Prize three years ago.
Liu Xia is rarely allowed out and is almost never allowed to receive visitors. She has not been convicted of any crime. Liu Xia did not appear at the court on Friday as she was feeling unwell, Liu Tong said.
She is currently resting at home and her physical condition is "very fragile", he added.
The ruling - announced by a court in Huairou district, in northeastern Beijing - was not a surprise as the central government has hardened its stance on activists since President Xi Jinping took power.
The Huairou court upheld the June sentence that Liu Hui, a manager at a real estate company in Shenzhen, defrauded a man called Zhang Bing of three million yuan (HK$3.8 million), along with another colleague.
