Court upholds 4-year jail term of prominent Chinese activist Xu Zhiyong

Chinese rights advocate Xu Zhiyong speaks during a meeting in Beijing on March, 30, 2013. A Chinese court on April 11, 2014 upheld a four-year jail sentence for Xu, who had campaigned for the education rights of children and for officials to disclose
Chinese rights advocate Xu Zhiyong speaks during a meeting in Beijing on March, 30, 2013. A Chinese court on April 11, 2014 upheld a four-year jail sentence for Xu, who had campaigned for the education rights of children and for officials to disclose their assets. -- FILE PHOTO: REUTERS 

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese court on Friday upheld a four-year jail sentence for one of the country's most prominent rights advocates, who had campaigned for the education rights of children and for officials to disclose their assets.

Xu Zhiyong's lawyer said that an appeal to the Beijing Municipal High People's Court had been rejected.

The rejection will likely spark another outcry from the United States, the European Union and rights groups about his case.

Xu was jailed in January after being found guilty of"gathering a crowd to disturb public order".

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