China rejects U.S. criticism of crackdown on rights defenders

Human rights lawyer Wang Yu talks during an interview with Reuters in Beijing in this March 1, 2014 photo. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

BEIJING (Reuters) - China rebuked the United States on Saturday for criticising it over the convictions of rights activists, with a Chinese court this week sentencing three rights advocates and a lawyer to up to seven and half years jail for subversion.

Dozens of people linked to the Beijing Fengrui law firm have been swept up in a crackdown on dissent since last July, as President Xi Jinping's administration has tightened control, citing a need to boost national security and stability.