Liu Xiaobo
Liu Xiaobo was an outspoken critic of the Chinese government. A former professor of literature at Beijing Normal University, he wrote about Chinese society and culture with a focus on democracy and human rights. He was jailed for 21 months after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre for his role in supporting students who had taken part in the peaceful protests. He was imprisoned again in a Re-education through Labor camp from 1996 to 1999 for criticizing China's policies toward Taiwan and Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Liu was sentenced in 2009 to 11 years in prison on “inciting subversion” charges for his involvement with Charter ’08, a manifesto calling for political reforms in China. Liu served nearly eight years in a Liaoning prison until being transferred to a hospital in Shenyang, Liaoning province, in June 2017. He died on July 13 from complications of liver cancer.
In 2010, Liu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.” Human Rights Watch honored him with the 2010 Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism for his fearless commitment to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in China.
Essential Reading
>> Q and A on Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo
>> Human Rights Watch Honors Six Activists
>> G20: Press China to Free Nobel Laureate
>> Scholars, Writers Press for Liu Xiaobo’s Release
>> Liu Xiaobo’s Trial a Travesty of Justice
News
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China: Nobel Laureate’s Widow Released
Poet Liu Xia, After Nearly 8 Years’ House Arrest, Left for Germany
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China: Celebration of Liu Xiaobo at Washington National Cathedral
Forceful Calls for Liu Xia Release as Party Congress Opens in Beijing
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Dueling Chinese Parties, and the Gulf Between Them
As Xi Jinping Reasserts His Authority, Liu Xiaobo Is Ignored but Not Forgotten
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China: Widow of Nobel Laureate Feared ‘Disappeared’
Beijing Should Cease Harassment and Detention of Liu Xiaobo’s Supporters
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China: Democratic Voice Liu Xiaobo Dies in Custody
Nobel Laureate’s Death Exposes Beijing’s Ruthlessness, But His Vision Lives On
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China: End Restrictions on Gravely Ill Nobel Laureate
Stop Harassment of Liu Xiaobo’s Family, Friends
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China: Permit Liu Xiaobo to Freely Seek Medical Care
2010 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Has Advanced Liver Cancer
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Filling Liu Xiaobo’s Empty Chair
Norway Should Use Thaw in China Relations to Press for Nobel Laureate’s Release
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Letter to Vice President Joe Biden
Case of Former PEN President and 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo