Beijing: A Chinese judge sentenced a Tibetan shopkeeper to five years in prison for inciting separatism, based on his comments in a New York Times documentary in which the man talked about the erosion of his culture and language in the tightly secured region.
Tashi Wangchuk's lawyer Liang Xiaojun told The Associated Press that his client earlier said he planned to appeal the sentence handed down by a judge in the western city of Yushu in Qinghai province.
Liang said he was unable to comment further due to a court-issued gag order.
Rights groups condemned the sentence, saying he had committed no crime either under international law or the Chinese constitution.
Tashi, 32, was detained in 2016, two months after the video and accompanying article were published, and went on trial in January.
He had pleaded not guilty to the charge of incitement to separatism. Counting time served, Tashi should be released in 2021.
However, Chinese political prisoners are frequently subject to additional restrictions, including house arrest after being released.