China jails prominent legal activists Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi

Two prominent Chinese activists have been jailed for subversion after more than three years in detention.

The wife of lawyer Ding Jiaxi tweeted that he was handed a 12-year jail term by a court in Shandong province.

She added the other activist, legal scholar Xu Zhiyong, was jailed for 14 years. Their closed-door trial took place in June 2022.

They were separately detained in 2019 and 2020 as part of a sprawling crackdown on legal activists.

In 2010, Mr Ding and Mr Xu co-founded the New Citizens' Movement, which campaigns for civil rights and government transparency.

The pair were first arrested in 2013 for their roles in protests calling for equal social and educational benefits for migrant workers in Beijing.

"The Chinese people are still living in a state of political oppression, economic control, and ideological enslavement," said Mr Ding in a statement published shortly before the verdict.

"I have faced many doubts, encountered many difficulties, and suffered many setbacks. I have personally been tortured. None of this will change my steadfast philosophy."