BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States on Friday condemned the "unjust imprisonment" of prominent Chinese human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his wife Xu Yan, who were sentenced to three years and one year and nine months, respectively, by a Chinese court this week.

Yu, 56, and Xu were imprisoned on charges of "inciting subversion of state power" by the Suzhou Intermediate People's Court on Tuesday, according to Chinese human rights website Weiquanwang, citing sources. The pair's relatives could not immediately be reached for comment.

"These sentences demonstrate the PRC's continuing efforts to silence those who speak out for human rights and the rule of law," U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, referring to the People's Republic of China.

The statement added that foreign diplomats including from the U.S. mission had been barred from attending their trial. The European Union, as well as the foreign ministries of France and Germany, also released statements this week calling for their release.

The pair were arrested by Beijing police in April 2023 while en route to a meeting with senior EU officials. At the time, the EU said their arrest was a matter of "serious concern" and urged their unconditional release.

Yu was released from a four-year prison sentence for "subversion of state power" in 2022, after publishing an open letter calling for political reforms. He was also among more than 300 rights lawyers and activists arrested by Chinese authorities in a 2015 nationwide crackdown.

His activist wife, Xu Yan, campaigned for his release, and alleged that he had suffered torture and ill health while in detention. Authorities deny accusations of torture.

Yu received the Franco-German Human Rights Award in 2018 and the Martin Ennals Award in 2021 for defending human rights.



(Reporting by Laurie Chen; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)