Beijing, April 19 -- Chinese human rights lawyer Lu Siwei has been sentenced to 11 months in prison following a closed-door trial held in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on charges of "illegally crossing the border," according to his wife, Zhang Chunxiao, who currently resides in the United States, as reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA).

Lu, 52, was detained in Laos in July 2023 while attempting to travel to the US to reunite with his family. Despite possessing a valid Chinese passport and a US visa, he was arrested in Vientiane, the Lao capital, and held for over a month before being forcibly repatriated to China. His return sparked concern among rights groups, who argued that the incident reflected Beijing's growing use of transnational repre...