The Beijing No. 3 Intermediate Court sentenced on Friday to seven years prison term 71-year-old Gao Yu, a known Chinese journalist. She was found guilty of leaking state secrets to people overseas.

The court, through its social media account, removed Gao's political rights for one year after she would be released from jail. When she was tried in Beijing in November, Gao denied the charge, reports the South China Morning Post.

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The document that the media woman allegedly leaked is the Communist Party of China's Document No. 9. It is an order for cadres to address seven influences on society that causes subversion. The influences include western constitutional democracy and accepted universal values like human rights and freedom of speech.

In May, Gao admitted on state television her crime, but she eventually told prosecutors she was only forced to do it because authorities were threatening her son. Her seven-year term is only half of the maximum penalty of 15 years for leaking state secrets.

But Gao has previous convictions on the same charge which resulted in her being incarcerated in 1989 before the Tiananmen crackdown. She was jailed for 15 months. Gao was detained again for six years in 1993, also for leaking state secrets.

The daily said that she was not permitted to speak in court. After the verdict was given, Gao told her brother that she would appeal the court's decision. Mo Shaoping, her lawyer, confirmed Gao's planned appeal, reports CNN.

Mo points out, "This is a totally wrong judgment that doesn't respect the facts of the evidence."

The brother noticed her weight loss and haggard look that he almost did not recognize his sister. Gao has hypertension and cardiovascular ailments.

Her brother believes her new seven-year sentence aims to silence her. He expressed doubt, based on her failing health, if his sister could complete her new sentence. And in case she does, she would be 80 then and likely incapable of doing anything against Beijing.

Amnesty International (AI) is protesting Gao's conviction. Nicholas Bequiling, AI director for East Asia, said that people accused of leaking state secrets have no chance of winning their cases because state secret labelling is upon the discretion of the Communist Party or the government. They can also back date the labelling.

Bequiling adds that Gao's conviction is part of President Xi Jinping's campaign to crackdown on dissent, information control and challenges to the party.

TagsGao Yu, press freedom, Human Rights