{"id":2722,"date":"2010-12-12T06:30:39","date_gmt":"2010-12-11T17:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=2722"},"modified":"2010-12-11T22:18:24","modified_gmt":"2010-12-11T09:18:24","slug":"2010-nobel-peace-prize-congratulations-dr-liu-xiaobo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2010\/12\/12\/2010-nobel-peace-prize-congratulations-dr-liu-xiaobo\/","title":{"rendered":"2010 Nobel Peace Prize: Congratulations Dr Liu Xiaobo"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Dr Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and former President of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC), has\u00a0 been awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize<\/a> in Oslo. I would like to congratulate Dr Liu Xiaobo on the award.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 Liu\u2019s absence from the ceremony was marked with an Empty Chair.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To celebrate Liu Xiaobo receiving the award\u00a0 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:<\/p>\n