Appeal by China dissident Liu Xiaobo rejected

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Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has had his appeal against an 11-year prison sentence rejected by a court in Beijing, his lawyer has said.

Mr Liu was convicted six weeks ago on charges of subversion, to widespread international condemnation.

The United States and the European Union have called for the 54-year-old dissident's immediate release.

In 2008, Mr Liu co-wrote a direct appeal to Chinese authorities calling for expanded political freedoms.

The dissident's wife, Liu Xia, had said earlier that she had little hope of a reprieve.

"I'm preparing for the worst," she said. "If you're not that hopeful, then you can't be disappointed."

'Persecution'

The United States also hit out at what it called the "persecution" of individuals for expressing their political views, saying it was inconsistent with globally recognised human rights standards.

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Mr Liu was previously jailed over the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests, a conviction which also sparked international condemnation.

Diplomats from 17 countries were outside the court when the appeal was rejected.

US ambassador Jon Huntsman, in a statement after the appeal ruling, said Washington lamented what he called the "persecution" of citizens expressing their political views.

"We are disappointed by the Chinese government's decision to uphold Liu Xiaobo's sentence of 11 years in prison on the charge of 'inciting subversion of state power'," Mr Huntsman said.

"We believe that he should not have been sentenced in the first place and should be released immediately," he added.

"Persecution of individuals for the peaceful expression of political views is inconsistent with internationally recognised norms of human rights," he said.

Simon Sharpe, an official from the European Union delegation in China, told reporters at the courthouse that the EU also called for Mr Liu's unconditional release.

Mr Liu has been in jail since 2008, after being arrested for writing a petition known as Charter 08.

It called for greater freedoms and democratic reforms in China, including an end to one-party rule.

The former university professor is a veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests.

More than 300 international writers, including Salman Rushdie, Umberto Eco and Margaret Atwood, have called for his release.

Mr Liu is the only person to have been arrested for organising the Charter 08 appeal, but others who signed it have reportedly been harassed.