Chain jails Uighur academic Ilham Tohti for life

A prominent Uighur scholar has been found guilty of separatism and jailed for life by a court in China, his lawyer has said.

Ilham Tohti, a university academic, has spoken out on the government's policies towards the Muslim Uighur minority in the restive region of Xinjiang.

Damian Grammaticas says the severity of the sentence has shocked many.