Nobel Prize Committee Asks China To Free Liu Xiaobo

By ETHAN Markoff

CHINA NEWS – This year Oslo had witnessed two standing ovations for a person who was represented only by an empty chair. The jailed Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo received much sympathy and support from all over the world, and moreover, Nobel Prize committee strongly come against china, asking for the immediate release of Chinese dissident Mr. Xiaobo, winner of the 2010 Peace Prize.

The China also showed its anger by the award given and waged a campaign from months, putting intellectuals and media into forced silence. In an aggressive mood, China declared that it would resolutely resist any country or any person using the Nobel Peace Prize to interfere with China’s internal affairs. Further, the Foreign Ministry called the Prize ceremony a “political farce.”

On the other hand, Nobel chairman Thorbjorn Jagland appreciated the efforts of China to curb the poverty factor and acclaimed as an "extraordinary achievement", but also warned China to be ready for criticism as world power had to bear the brunt.

In the Nobel Prize ceremony the question of freedom gained the highest decibel where Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann read out a statement that Mr Liu had made in court during his trial in December 2009.

"I, filled with optimism, look forward to the advent of a future, free China," said the statement.

A special report of the United Nation says China arrested at least 20 activists before Nobel ceremony. It is reported that Beijing imposed house arrests, travel restrictions, forced relocation of at least 120 cases.

Mr. Liu, one of China's leading dissidents, was arrested in North-east China for state subversion. His wife, Liu Xia, is under house arrest before the ceremony and still confined to her home.

Before the ceremony China had created pressure on countries to boycott the prize ceremony. 16 countries - including Russia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan didn’t attend the ceremony, while China returned their invitation unopened.

Liu Xiaobo was first come into limelight in 1989 when he protested in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

He was strongly vocal against Chinese government and sent to prison for two years, since then he has written several accounts against the government. In December 2009 he was given an 11-year prison sentence for inciting the subversion of state power. He co-authored a document known as Charter 08 that clearly asks for political reforms and isolation of powers and legislative democracy.