Liu Xia, wife of Charter 08 co-author Liu Xiaobo, tells the Guardian that she fears he will be given a long sentence:
“I am not optimistic … Personally I have already prepared for the worst result,” said Liu Xia on the eve of the anniversary of her husband’s detention. She said it was “very possible” he could be sentenced to more than 10 years.
“My biggest hope is that the public can still pay attention to his case and Xiaobo can come back home soon. But I am more worried about this case than other times in the past because this time the allegation is so serious,” she said.
Incitement to subvert can carry a prison term of up to 15 years. Liu, a 54-year-old former academic, was previously jailed for about two years for his role in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. In the mid-1990s he was sent to a labour camp.
See also “Chinese Man Still Jailed 1 Year After Reform Call” from AP. Read more about Liu Xiaobo and Charter 08 from CDT.