The International community has condemned the Chinese government for the "harsh sentence" handed down to 53-year-old writer and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo.

On Friday, a Beijing court, after a three-hour hearing on Thursday, convicted Mr Liu of "inciting subversion of state power" and sentenced him to 11 years behind bars.
 

Liu Xiaobo is a leading Chinese dissident and co-author of Charter 08, a manifest calling for reform of China's one-party communist system and the protection of human rights. Some 10,000 people have signed the document. He was arrested a year ago and has been in jail ever since.

His wife, Lui Xia, who was not allowed to attend the trial, saw her husband for just 10 minutes after the sentencing. It was the first time she had been allowed to visit her husband since March. Afterwards she told journalists that her husband had decided to appeal.
 

The case has generated a huge amount of concern in all corners of the globe, particularly in the United States and in the European Union. Western countries view the case against Mr Liu as politically motivated. Beijing has warned the international community not to interfere in internal Chinese affairs.

The US urged Beijing to "respect the rights of all Chinese citizens to peacefully express their political views". After the sentence was passed, a US embassy official in Beijing told journalists outside the courthouse that "the persecution of individuals for the peaceful expression of political views is inconsistent with internationally recognized norms of human rights".
 

The Swedish government, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, issued a statement condemning the sentence. The statement said the verdict "gives rise to concern with respect to freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial in China". UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillai said Mr Liu's sentence threw "an ominous shadow over Beijing's commitments to human rights".
 

The sentence has also been condemned by human rights groups including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders. Online supporters of the jailed dissident are displaying a yellow ribbon as a gesture of solidarity.