China quake activist jailed
Posted
A Chinese activist who tried to document the poor construction of buildings that collapsed in the Sichuan earthquake has been sentenced to five years in jail.
Tan Zuoren has been convicted of trying to subvert state power.
The activist drew attention to the role which shoddy construction played in the collapse of buildings during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
More than 80,000 people died during the quake, including many school children.
But Tan's sentence is unrelated. He has been jailed for writing about the crackdown around Tiananmen Square in 1989.
His family and supporters were denied access to the court, and say he is being incarcerated because he was preparing a report on the collapsed buildings.
Tan's lawyer, Pu Zhiqiang, says he plans to appeal.
Search ABC News
Featured Video
-
Video
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione confirms the shooting death of a young police constable during a Sydney drug operation.
-
Video
The Northern Territory Government has launched a health dictionary designed to translate medical terms into traditional Indigenous languages.
-
Video
A 26-year-old police officer has died in hospital after being shot during a drug raid in Sydney's south-west overnight.
-
Video
Hairless pink twin pandas conceived through artificial insemination have become the latest additions to the Madrid Zoo.
The ABC News Online Investigative Unit encourages whistleblowers, and others with access to information they believe should be revealed for the public good, to contact us.
