Sichaun earthquake activist jailed

Stephen McDonell, China correspondent

Last Updated: Tue, 9 Feb 2010 19:46:00 +1100

A Chinese activist who tried to document the poor construction of buildings that collapsed in the Sichuan Earthquake has been sentenced to five years in jail.

Tan Zuoren has been convicted of trying to subvert state power and sentenced to five years gaol.

The activist drew attention to the role which shoddy construction played in the collapse of buildings during the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.

More than 80,000 people died including many school children.

But Tan's sentence was unrelated, with the court jailing him for writing about the bloody crackdown around Tiananmen Square in 1989.

His family and supporters were denied access to the court.

They say the real reason for his incarceration is because he was preparing a report on the collapsed buildings.

Tan's lawyer, Pu Zhiqiang, says he plans to appeal.