Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay issued a scathing statement against the Chinese government on Thursday after news emerged that a Canadian citizen had been sentenced in Beijing to life in prison.

Huseyin Celil, who grew up in China and came to Canada as a refugee in 2001, was convicted for the two crimes of "separating China and ... organizing, leading and participating in terrorist groups, organizations," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao, according to The Associated Press.

The first crime carries a penalty of life in prison and the removal of all political rights. The second crime carries a sentence of 10 years.

MacKay, who is travelling to China next week and is expected to raise the issue in person, said the sentence is unacceptable.

"It is with deep disappointment that we learn that Mr. Celil has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Chinese court," MacKay said in a statement.

"Chinese authorities have persistently refused to respond adequately to our concerns with respect to due process for this Canadian citizen. They have also failed to allow Canadian officials the opportunity to provide consular assistance to Mr. Celil, in spite of repeated requests."

A member of Western China's Muslim Uigur minority, Celil escaped from a Chinese prison in 2000. He fled to Uzbekistan and Turkey before arriving in Canada, where he became a citizen in 2005.

He has been in Chinese custody on terror-related charges since March, 27, 2006, when he was detained in Uzbekistan while visiting his wife's family. The two countries have an extradition agreement.

Celil's family says he is being persecuted for his Muslim beliefs and because he is a political dissident.

CTV's Steve Chao, reporting from Beijing, said Celil has 10 days to appeal the decision.

"Celil himself was not in the courtroom and neither was his lawyer," said Chao. "This has led the family to question the fairness of the trial."

Chao said Celil's family accuses the government of failing to provide proof that Celil was ever involved in terrorist activities.

In his Thursday statement, MacKay said the government is "gravely concerned" about allegations that Celil has been mistreated while in custody, and possibly even tortured. He called on Beijing to investigate the claims and ensure Celil's rights are protected.

The situation is causing diplomatic frictions between the two nations and could jeopardize an agreement intended to protect citizens travelling in each country.

"As we believe that China did not live up to the spirit of the 1999 Canada-China consular agreement in this case, we will be conducting a review of this agreement to determine whether it is, in fact, an effective means of safeguarding Chinese-Canadian dual citizens travelling on Canadian passports," MacKay said.

The Chinese have called the case an "internal affair" and have requested that Canada not interfere with the case. Beijing has refused to recognize Celil's Canadian citizenship.

Chao said many of Celil's alleged associates have been executed for similar charges, and the fact he was given a life sentence may suggest China is treating him with some leniency because of the Canadian pressure.

Celil's wife, who lives in Burlington, Ont., told The Canadian Press that Foreign Affairs officials called her around 1 a.m. Thursday to tell her the news about her husband's sentence.

"I said, `For what?' He spoke about humanity, about human rights,'' said Kamila Telendibaeva, who has not spoken to her husband since his arrest.

"It's not fair and it's not justice to give a life sentence to him.''

She said her husband should appeal the sentence she is still hopeful that her husband will be released.

"I will not give up. I have worked hard and I will work again to release my husband, to bring him back home,'' she said.

With files from The Canadian Press