A Chinese lawyer has been jailed for seven years in the third in a series of subversion trials demonstrating the ruling Communist Party's determination to silence independent human rights activists and government critics.

China has rejected a call from a United Nations rights watchdog to halt torture of detainees, saying the group’s recommendations were based on unverified information and that it should “improve its work style.”

China is awarding its own peace prize to counter the Nobel that recognised imprisoned democracy campaigner Liu Xiaobo.

A dissident Chinese lawyer who was missing for more than a year suddenly resurfaced today, saying he is now living in northern China and wants only to spend time with his family away from media attention.

AS CHINA’S ruling Communist Party held its most important conclave in five years, the government has launched an unusually harsh crackdown on potential troublemakers, say Chinese and international human rights groups.