2010 Nobel Peace Prize: Congratulations Dr Liu Xiaobo
Dr Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and former President of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC), has been awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. I would like to congratulate Dr Liu Xiaobo on the award.
Liu is currently serving an 11 year prison sentence in China for “inciting subversion of state power” and is regarded internationally as a political prisoner. Liu’s absence from the ceremony was marked with an Empty Chair.
The awarding of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo is both a cause for celebration and a reminder that he and more than 40 other writers remain in prison in China; three of them, like Liu, are also members of international PEN.
To celebrate Liu Xiaobo receiving the award and also raise awareness of his situation and that of his fellow writers, PEN is asking members, writers and people everywhere to “spread the word” by listening to, reading and disseminating Liu’s work as comprised in the following links:
- “Words a Cell Can’t Hold,” translated by Jeffrey Yang in The New York Times
- Liu Xia (Dr Liu Xiaobo’s wife) telling the story of Chinese authorities confiscating Liu Xiaobo’s work, recorded in Beijing, March 2010
- A reading of “Greed’s Prisoner,” recorded in Beijing, March 2010
- Liu Xiaobo on freedom of expression in China, 2006
For more multimedia, Liu’s poetry, and continued updates on his case please visit: www.pen.org/nobel
If you are in the USA, there will be a Writers’ Rally for Liu Xiaobo in New York on December 31.
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If you wish to do more, you could:
1. SEND A CARD OF CONGRATULATIONS TO LIU XIAOBO IN PRISON:
Liu Xiaobo
Jinzhou Prison
Nanshan Road 86
Taihe District, 121013
Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province
P.R. China
2. SEND A LETTER OF APPEAL TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES:
Please write to the Chinese authorities respectfully requesting the immediate and unconditional release of Dr Liu Xiaobo and all those detained in China in violation of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China is a signatory. Letters should be sent to the Chinese authorities in Beijing—see below—with a copy to the Chinese embassy in your home country.
His Excellency Hu Jintao
President of the People’s Republic of China
State Council
Beijing 100032
P.R. China