Popular China Rights Activist Gets Nine-Month Jail Term

Supporters wait outside the trial of Chinese human rights activist Wang Lihong in Beijing in August.

A Chinese rights activist has been given a nine-month jail term in a case observers say highlights Beijing's attempt to crack down on dissent spread by the Internet.

Wang Lihong was found guilty of "stirring up trouble" in 2010 outside a southern China courthouse where three bloggers were on trial for insulting an official.

Her lawyers, supporters, and human rights groups said she was being punished for her broader activism.

Wang's supporters have included the prominent Chinese activist-artist Ai Weiwei, whose own 81-day secretive detention prompted an international outcry.

compiled from agency reports