In a sharp rebuke to Beijing, the Nobel Committee named imprisoned Chinese scholar Liu Xiaobo the 2010 Peace Prize winner for his long and nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. The decision by the five-member committee appointed by the Norwegian Parliament comes over the objection of the Chinese government, which considers Liu a criminal.
The Chinese government has since responded to Lui's award. To give the Peace Prize to such a person is completely contrary to the purpose of the award and a blasphemy of the Peace Prize, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement posted on the ministry's website. He added that the award could harm China's relations with Norway. As for Lui's wife - surrounded by police at their Beijing apartment - Liu Xia wasn't allowed out to meet reporters, giving brief remarks by phone and text message instead. She said she was happy and planned to deliver the news to Liu at prison on Saturday. In a statement on her behalf by Freedom Now (the legal NGO which has advocated for Liu Xiaobo), she said, I am grateful to the Nobel Committee for selecting my husband, Liu Xiaobo, to be the recipient of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. It is a true honor for him and one for which I know he would say he is not worthy ... I hope that the international community will take this opportunity to call on the Chinese government to press for my husband's release.
Full story with video: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/085992...jA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNjaGluZXNlZGlzc2k-
The Chinese government has since responded to Lui's award. To give the Peace Prize to such a person is completely contrary to the purpose of the award and a blasphemy of the Peace Prize, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement posted on the ministry's website. He added that the award could harm China's relations with Norway. As for Lui's wife - surrounded by police at their Beijing apartment - Liu Xia wasn't allowed out to meet reporters, giving brief remarks by phone and text message instead. She said she was happy and planned to deliver the news to Liu at prison on Saturday. In a statement on her behalf by Freedom Now (the legal NGO which has advocated for Liu Xiaobo), she said, I am grateful to the Nobel Committee for selecting my husband, Liu Xiaobo, to be the recipient of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. It is a true honor for him and one for which I know he would say he is not worthy ... I hope that the international community will take this opportunity to call on the Chinese government to press for my husband's release.
Full story with video: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/085992...jA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNjaGluZXNlZGlzc2k-
