Outcry over lengthy jail terms handed to China human rights lawyers

UN rights chief voices concern over sentencing of Ding Jiaxi and Xu Zhiyong

The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, has said he is “very concerned” after China sentenced two prominent human rights lawyers to more than a decade each in jail.

Xu Zhiyong and fellow campaigner Ding Jiaxi were convicted of subversion of state power after closed-door trials and sentenced to 14 and 12 years respectively.