Dalai Lama congratulates fellow Nobel laureate

The Dalai Lama waves after his arrival in Passau September 21, 2010  (Reuters/Michael Dalder)

 

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October 08, 2010. (KATAKAMI / Reuters) – Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama offered his congratulations to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo for winning the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, calling on the government to release him and other jailed activists.

“Awarding the Peace Prize to him is the international community’s recognition of the increasing voices among the Chinese people in pushing China towards political, legal and constitutional reforms,” the Dalai Lama said in a statement on his website (www.dalailama.com).

“I have been personally moved as well as encouraged by the efforts of hundreds of Chinese intellectuals and concerned citizens, including Mr. Liu Xiaobo in signing the Charter 08, which calls for democracy and freedom in China.”

Liu helped organise the “Charter 08” petition which called for sweeping political reforms and was modelled on the Charter 77 petition which became the rallying call for the human rights movement in communist Czechoslovakia in 1977.

“I believe in the years ahead, future generations of Chinese will be able to enjoy the fruits of the efforts that the current Chinese citizens are making towards responsible governance,” the Dalai Lama added.

“I would like to take this opportunity to renew my call to the government of China to release Mr. Liu Xiaobo and other prisoners of conscience who have been imprisoned for exercising their freedom of expression,” he said.

Beijing was furious when the Dalai Lama won his Peace Prize in 1989, the year of the Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protesters by Chinese authorities.

China accuses the Dalai Lama of fanning a violent campaign for separatism. He denies China’s charges against him, and says he only seeks more meaningful autonomy for Tibet through purely peaceful means.
Chinese Communist troops marched into Tibet in 1950. The Dalai Lama fled in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, and has since campaigned for self-rule from exile.

 

Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo wins 2010 Nobel Peace Prize

Imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”

 

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Imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”, the Norwegian.
Nobel Committee said. Known for joining student protesters on hunger strike in 1989 only days before the army crushed the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement, Liu has frequently infuriated Chinese authorities with his criticisms of China’s one-party rule.

A former professor of literature, Liu received an eleven-year prison sentence in December 2009 for campaigning for political freedoms, including publishing online texts that were critical of China’s government. Liu’s was found guilty of “inciting subversion of state power.” The verdict was condemned by rights groups and the governments of the US and various European countries.

The dissident is well known for helping organise the Charter 08 petition, which demanded major reforms.  It was inspired by the Charter 77 petition that was a fundamental text in the human rights movement in communist Czechoslovakia in 1977. “The Chinese people have endured human rights disasters and uncountable struggles”, reads the Charter 08 text, which Liu was one of the first to sign.

A history of clashes with Chinese government

Liu has a history of clashing with the Chinese government. In 1989 he was fired from Beijing Normal University and served 20 months in prison following his participation in the Tiananmen protests. From 1996 to 1999, he spent three years in a “labour re-education” camp for having called for sweeping political reforms and the release of imprisoned Tiananmen protesters.

On June 3, 2008, the 19th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square events, Liu was interviewed by FRANCE 24. Following the interview, Liu said he was interrogated by Chinese police about the interview.

Liu was suggested for the prize by dissident playwright and former president of Czechoslovakia Vaclav Havel, and by the rights group International Pen.

Reacting to news of the prize on Friday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying warned that relations between China and Norway would be hurt by Liu’s prize.

Imprisoned Chinese dissident Hu Jia, also known for his political activism, was considered one of the favourites for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008. In the end, it was former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari who received the prize.