China’s Nobel anger spells tough fight for rights activists focus 12/09/2010

China’s Nobel anger spells tough fight for rights activists

focus

12/09/2010

BEIJING — China’s fury over the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo and its subsequent crackdown on dissidents could signal a more difficult fight ahead for rights activists, experts say.

Liu, a social critic and author, was sentenced in December 2009 to 11 years in prison on subversion charges after co-authoring “Charter 08,” a bold manifesto calling for democratic reform and greater rights in one-party China.

Since Liu won the Nobel in October, Chinese police have harassed hundreds of activists — detaining some, placing others under house arrest and preventing a few from leaving the country ahead of Friday’s peace prize ceremony in Oslo.

“Many people in China are worried that until the ceremony on December 10, the government has avoided arresting or throwing in jail other activists, but after the ceremony it might be possible the government wants to make an example of several activists,” Human Rights Watch’s Nicholas Bequelin told AFP.

Liu’s wife, Liu Xia, has been under house arrest and deprived of nearly all contact with the outside world since he was given the prestigious award, which Beijing fears will embolden China’s political activists into fomenting unrest.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101209com6.html