Blind Chinese activist appeals "unlawful" sentence

BEIJING, Sep 3 (Reuters) A blind Chinese human rights activist whose jailing last month sparked an international outcry has filed an appeal, asserting authorities stifled his defence and apparently coerced witnesses into testifying against him.

Chen Guangcheng attracted world's attention last year after issuing a report that said officials in east China's Shandong province had enforced a brutal population control drive.

On August. 24, Chen was sentenced by Yinan County court in Shandong to over 4 years' jail for damaging property and obstructing traffic in a February protest. His family and lawyers maintain the charges were trumped up to silence him.

In an appeal sent to the Yinan court on Friday and issued to reporters today, Chen said authorities beat and detained his lawyers and used witnesses who were probably tortured.

''This trial was clearly an unlawful one in flagrant violation of the basic principles of criminal legal procedure,''the appeal states.

''The appellant has reason to believe that the so-called confessions provided by the prosecution were the product of coercion,'' it adds.

Chen's lawyer, Li Jinsong, told Reuters no date has been set for a new hearing.

Before Chen's trial, his attorneys were detained on charges of theft and the court appointed two stand-in lawyers whom Chen refused to accept.

Chinese activists said the unexpectedly heavy sentence against Chen showed officials are clamping down on ''rights defenders'' -- a network of lawyers and activists seeking to expand freedoms through litigation and Internet-driven campaigns.

The US State Department has condemned Chen's jailing on ''questionable charges'' and called on Beijing to release him.

Chen, who has been blind since early childhood and educated himself in law, called on China's leaders to respect human rights and blamed vengeful local officials.

''Those who are most averse to the words freedom and democracy are the local overlords of grassroots law enforcement who are laws unto themselves, bringing calamity to the country,'' Chen said in his appeal.

REUTERS AKJ RK1030