A Chinese court sentenced an 81-year-old writer to jail Wednesday on a charge of illegal business after he criticized the ruling Communist Party's propaganda chief in online essays, but the sentence was suspended, his lawyer said.

The conviction of Huang Zerong, better known by his pen name Tie Liu, is the latest example of a government campaign to tighten control over the media, political dissidents and the Internet.

Huang spent nearly 25 years in labor camps for criticizing former leader Mao Zedong and the party, rights groups say.