A court in Beijing on Friday sentenced veteran Chinese journalist Gao Yu to seven years in prison for leaking a top Communist Party document that outlined the leadership’s resolve to aggressively curb civil society and press freedom.

Gao, 71, had denied the charges.

Gao’s lawyer Mo Shaoping said Gao was convicted of leaking state secrets by giving a strategy paper known as Document No. 9 to an overseas media group. The document argued for aggressive curbs on the spread of Western democracy, universal values, civil society and press freedom, which the party considers a threat to its rule.

Police patrolled the perimeter of Beijing’s No. 3 Intermediate Court where the verdict was delivered and Gao could not be reached for comment. Her brother, Gao Wei, said he was present inside the court, but was escorted away by police and was unable to talk to media.

The verdict appeared to authenticate the existence of the leaked document, which had been published in 2013 in a Hong Kong magazine.

Gao, who wrote about politics, economics and social issues for media in Hong Kong and overseas, served time in prison on state secrets charges more than two decades ago.