Pro-democracy lawmakers Emily Lau, second from left, Lee Cheuk Yan, center, and Albert Ho, second from right, show their support for Liu Xiaobo on Wednesday in Hong Kong.
BEIJING — Chinese democracy activists say the Communist Party's campaign to discredit the Nobel Peace Prize award to a Chinese dissident is proving to the world why Liu Xiaobo deserves the accolade.
Beijing's efforts to stop nations from attending Friday's award ceremony are "stupid and harm China's image," Beijing legal scholar Xu Zhiyong said Wednesday.
"The Chinese people have won a prize," said Xu, a supporter of Liu. "Over the long term, this Nobel will push freedom and democracy in China."
Liu, 54, is serving an 11-year sentence for inciting subversion of state power. His crime was to be a founder of Charter 08, a statement that says it is wrong for a government to deny its citizens election of public officials and freedom of religion and expression. Liu was convicted Christmas Day 2009 after a two-hour trial.
In awarding him the peace prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said Liu was being recognized for "his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China" despite severe punishment for doing so against him and his family.
China will not allow Liu or any of his family members to leave the country to accept the prize and its $1.4 million award in Oslo. His wife, Liu Xia, has been under house arrest since the award was announced Oct. 8.
The Nobel Committee will only present the award to the laureate or close family members. In 1975, 1983 and 1991, family members collected the Nobel for winning Soviet, Polish and Burmese dissidents. Beijing's clampdown means this year's could be the first ceremony to lack a presentation since 1935, when Nazi Germany barred the pacifist Carl von Ossietzky from attending.
Other no-shows include envoys from 18 nations who appear to have bowed to Beijing's vigorous campaign for a boycott of the ceremony. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu claimed a "large majority" of nations would skip the event.
The Nobel Committee says at least 44 nations would attend.
Those boycotting include Russia, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Serbia, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Venezuela, the Philippines, Egypt, Sudan, Ukraine, Cuba and Morocco.
Some of the boycotters share China's intolerance of dissent, but all have growing economic ties with China that some say they are afraid to jeopardize.
"China has been arm-twisting behind the scenes to stop governments from attending the Nobel Prize ceremony, using a combination of political pressure and economic blackmail," Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific director for human rights group Amnesty International, said Tuesday.
The Philippines is a democracy, but Manila is nervous of angering Beijing, says Ellen Palanca, China studies director at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City.
"The economic relationship with China is increasingly important to the Philippines," she said. Following the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists during a botched hostage rescue in August, "the Philippines has to do more to show that it is a friend of China. The hostage crisis did a lot of damage."
A long-time U.S. ally and military aid recipient, the Philippines is also pursuing closer military links with China. This week, its armed forces chief of staff is visiting China to build goodwill, the Manila Standard Today newspaper reported.
China has also invented its own peace prize that it intends to award today. The Confucius Peace Prize will be awarded by a group with links to China's Ministry of Culture.
Meanwhile, Beijing has kept up its barrage of outrage at Liu's award.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang, whose office has called the Nobel prize an "obscenity" for honoring a convicted criminal, promised that China would not change because of "interference by a few clowns."
China's reaction shows why the Nobel should be awarded to Liu, human rights activists say.
For example, none of the travel restrictions placed on Liu's family are legal under Chinese laws, said Wang Songlian, research coordinator for the rights group China Human Rights Defenders.
"The government is making a fool of itself by showing the international community that all its talk about legal reform and human rights is merely talk — in practice they do not respect the law," she said.
The crackdown also reflects the government's response to a wider "yearning for justice and equality in China," Wang said. Although most Chinese have not heard of Liu, many people are restless and hungry for the moral ideals he represents, she said.
"At the moment they have no outlet, but the government fears that if the people get to hear about the ideals put forward by Liu and other dissidents, it could mean the end of the dictatorship," Wang said.
"That's why the government is very afraid of Liu Xiaobo."
Read More
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-12-09-chinanobel09_ST_N.htm
Beijing's efforts to stop nations from attending Friday's award ceremony are "stupid and harm China's image," Beijing legal scholar Xu Zhiyong said Wednesday.
"The Chinese people have won a prize," said Xu, a supporter of Liu. "Over the long term, this Nobel will push freedom and democracy in China."
Liu, 54, is serving an 11-year sentence for inciting subversion of state power. His crime was to be a founder of Charter 08, a statement that says it is wrong for a government to deny its citizens election of public officials and freedom of religion and expression. Liu was convicted Christmas Day 2009 after a two-hour trial.
In awarding him the peace prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said Liu was being recognized for "his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China" despite severe punishment for doing so against him and his family.
China will not allow Liu or any of his family members to leave the country to accept the prize and its $1.4 million award in Oslo. His wife, Liu Xia, has been under house arrest since the award was announced Oct. 8.
The Nobel Committee will only present the award to the laureate or close family members. In 1975, 1983 and 1991, family members collected the Nobel for winning Soviet, Polish and Burmese dissidents. Beijing's clampdown means this year's could be the first ceremony to lack a presentation since 1935, when Nazi Germany barred the pacifist Carl von Ossietzky from attending.
Other no-shows include envoys from 18 nations who appear to have bowed to Beijing's vigorous campaign for a boycott of the ceremony. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu claimed a "large majority" of nations would skip the event.
The Nobel Committee says at least 44 nations would attend.
Those boycotting include Russia, Kazakhstan, Colombia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Serbia, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Venezuela, the Philippines, Egypt, Sudan, Ukraine, Cuba and Morocco.
Some of the boycotters share China's intolerance of dissent, but all have growing economic ties with China that some say they are afraid to jeopardize.
"China has been arm-twisting behind the scenes to stop governments from attending the Nobel Prize ceremony, using a combination of political pressure and economic blackmail," Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific director for human rights group Amnesty International, said Tuesday.
The Philippines is a democracy, but Manila is nervous of angering Beijing, says Ellen Palanca, China studies director at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City.
"The economic relationship with China is increasingly important to the Philippines," she said. Following the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists during a botched hostage rescue in August, "the Philippines has to do more to show that it is a friend of China. The hostage crisis did a lot of damage."
A long-time U.S. ally and military aid recipient, the Philippines is also pursuing closer military links with China. This week, its armed forces chief of staff is visiting China to build goodwill, the Manila Standard Today newspaper reported.
China has also invented its own peace prize that it intends to award today. The Confucius Peace Prize will be awarded by a group with links to China's Ministry of Culture.
Meanwhile, Beijing has kept up its barrage of outrage at Liu's award.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang, whose office has called the Nobel prize an "obscenity" for honoring a convicted criminal, promised that China would not change because of "interference by a few clowns."
China's reaction shows why the Nobel should be awarded to Liu, human rights activists say.
For example, none of the travel restrictions placed on Liu's family are legal under Chinese laws, said Wang Songlian, research coordinator for the rights group China Human Rights Defenders.
"The government is making a fool of itself by showing the international community that all its talk about legal reform and human rights is merely talk — in practice they do not respect the law," she said.
The crackdown also reflects the government's response to a wider "yearning for justice and equality in China," Wang said. Although most Chinese have not heard of Liu, many people are restless and hungry for the moral ideals he represents, she said.
"At the moment they have no outlet, but the government fears that if the people get to hear about the ideals put forward by Liu and other dissidents, it could mean the end of the dictatorship," Wang said.
"That's why the government is very afraid of Liu Xiaobo."
Read More
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-12-09-chinanobel09_ST_N.htm
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