The European Parliament awarded its top human rights prize to jailed human rights activist Hua Jia. File photo
Beijing has strongly condemned the decision by the European Parliament to award its annual human rights prize to Hu Jia, a jailed Chinese dissident.
"We express strong dissatisfaction and stern opposition," a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, said in a statement.
On Thursday Mr. Hu, an outspoken critic of human rights abuses in China, was selected as the winner of the prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
"By awarding the Sakharov Prize to Hu Jia, the European Parliament is sending out a signal of clear support to all those who defend human rights in China," European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering declared.
Last April, Mr. Hu was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on subversion charges.