China accused some diplomats of interfering in its internal affairs because they criticized the detention and trial of a prominent dissident. Statements from embassies calling for the release of Liu were “a gross interference of China’s internal affairs,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said. “We urge the relevant countries to respect China’s sovereignty and stop doing anything that interferes in China’s internal affairs,” Jiang said. A dozen diplomats, including from the United States, Britain, Germany, Australia and Canada, stood outside the Beijing courthouse in freezing weather after they were barred from entering. “We call on the government of China to release him immediately,” Gregory May, first secretary with the U.S. Embassy, said outside the courthouse. The European Union made a similar appeal. Liu Xiaobo, a former university professor, was sentenced to 11 years in jail on Friday for “inciting subversion of state power.” He had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which are based on six articles he published on the internet and his role in organising Charter 08, a petition demanding the end of one-party rule in China.
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