Chinese rights lawyer jailed for 12 years

A Chinese court has sentenced defence lawyer Xia Lin to 12 years in prison, his attorney said yesterday, the latest blow in a broad crackdown on human rights defenders and activists. Xia is best known for his work defending artist Ai Weiwei and fellow rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, who was detained after a private seminar discussing the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.