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The International Publishers Association (IPA) has condemned a 10-year prison sentence handed down to 73-year-old Hong Kong-based publisher Yao Wentian.
Yao, chief editor of Morning Bell Press, was given the sentence by a court in Shenzhen, China, for the crime of "smuggling prohibited items".
At the time of Yao's arrest in October, the publisher had been working with US-based author and dissident Yu Jie on Chinese Godfather Xi Jinping, a book about the country's president. The book was scheduled for release in April.
The IPA said it believed that the sentence was politically motivated. Policy director José Borghino said he was: "shocked at the severity of the sentence, which clearly points to this being excessive and vengeful retaliation for Yao Wentian’s fearless publishing of dissident Chinese writers. Yao Wentian is 73 and seriously ill, he should be released immediately and unconditionally. The Chinese government must respect its citizens’ freedom to publish and freedom to read."