Tian Xi, 24, was arrested in August 2010 in central China's Xincai district and accused of smashing up equipment in the hospital where he says he received transfusions of tainted blood.

"The verdict was announced yesterday by the Xincai County Court," Liang Xiaojun told AFP.

Tian rejected the sentence, "considering that the court has punished only him and not the hospital", Liang said. "He has therefore decided to appeal."

Tian has campaigned for compensation to be given to thousands of Chinese who contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, through blood transfusions.

He was told shortly before his arrest that local authorities had demanded he be detained, according to China's Aizhixing Association for the Fight Against AIDS.

Tian had worked for the group, helping to uncover a scandal over the trafficking of blood in the 1990s in Henan Province, which led to more than 150,000 people becoming infected with HIV.

According to Chinese authorities, at least 740,000 people have AIDS in the country of 1.3 billion, although advocates for patients believe the real figure could be much higher.

AIDS has long had a heavy stigma attached to it in China, with many sufferers hiding their condition out of shame.

However, there have been recent signs that attitudes are changing.

The government has started talking more openly about HIV prevention and control in China, though people with HIV/AIDS still encounter huge discrimination in employment, education and healthcare.

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