US calls for immediate release of activists in China

US said the the sentences demonstrate China's continued efforts to intimidate and silence civil society.

The United States on Monday condemned prison sentences given to women's rights activist Huang Xueqin and labor rights activist Wang Jianbing in China and urged Beijing to release both activists immediately.

The sentences demonstrate China's "continued efforts to intimidate and silence civil society," U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.