Relatives have denounced Liu Hui's conviction for fraud in a real estate dispute as political payback for Liu Xiaobo's pro-democracy advocacy. Liu Xiaobo was imprisoned for subversion in 2009.
However, lawyer Shang Baojun said the court in suburban Beijing's Huairou district turned down Liu Hui's appeal today.
Liu Hui's sister, Liu Xia, has been under house arrest since her husband was awarded the Nobel prize in 2010. Shang said that Liu Xia, who has stridently protested her extra-legal detention, did not attend today's hearing because she wasn't feeling well.