Liu Xiaobo (; 28 December 1955 – 13 July 2017) was a Chinese

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, p ...

, literary critic,

human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing cam ...

, philosopher and

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...

laureate who called for political reforms and was involved in campaigns to end communist

one-party rule A one-party state, single-party state, one-party system, or single-party system is a type of sovereign state in which only one political party has the right to form the government, usually based on the existing constitution. All other parties ...

in China. He was arrested numerous times, and was described as China's most prominent

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established political or religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and in the political sense since the 20th ...

and the country's most famous

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...

. On 26 June 2017, he was granted medical parole after being diagnosed with liver cancer; he died a few weeks later on 13 July 2017. Liu rose to fame in 1980s Chinese literary circles with his exemplary literary critiques. He eventually became a visiting scholar at several international universities. He returned to China to support the

1989 Tiananmen Square protests The Tiananmen Square protests, known in Chinese as the June Fourth Incident (), were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing during 1989. In what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or in Chinese the June Fourth ...

and was imprisoned for the first time from 1989 to 1991, again from 1995 to 1996 and yet again from 1996 to 1999 for his involvement on suspicion of inciting subversion of state power. He served as the President of the Independent Chinese

PEN A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity wh ...

Center, from 2003 to 2007. He was also the president of ''Minzhu Zhongguo'' (''Democratic China'') magazine starting in the mid-1990s. On 8 December 2008, Liu was detained due to his participation with the ''

Charter 08 Charter 08 is a manifesto initially signed by 303 Chinese dissident intellectuals and human rights activists. It was published on 10 December 2008, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopting its name and style from ...

'' manifesto. He was formally arrested on 23 June 2009 on suspicion of "

inciting subversion of state power Inciting subversion of state power () is a crime under the law of the People's Republic of China. It is article 105, paragraph 2 of the 1997 revision of the People's Republic of China's Penal Code. He was tried on the same charges on 23 December 2009 and sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment and two years' deprivation of political rights on 25 December 2009. During his fourth prison term, Liu was awarded the

2010 Nobel Peace Prize The 2010 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to imprisoned Chinese human rights activist (1955–2017) "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China". The laureate, once an eminent scholar, was reportedly little-known in ...

for "his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China." Liu was the first Chinese citizen to be awarded a Nobel Prize of any kind while residing in China. He was the third person to have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while in prison or detention, after Germany's

Carl von Ossietzky Carl von Ossietzky (; 3 October 1889 – 4 May 1938) was a German journalist and pacifist. He was the recipient of the 1935 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in exposing the clandestine German re-armament. As editor-in-chief of the magazine ''Die ...

(1935) and Burma's

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (; ; born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2 ...

(1991). He was the second person to have been denied the right to have a representative collect the Nobel Prize for him as well as the second to die in custody, with the first being Ossietzky, who died in Westend hospital in Berlin-Charlottenburg after being detained in a Nazi concentration camp.

Berit Reiss-Andersen Berit Reiss-Andersen (born 11 July 1954) is a Norwegian lawyer, author and former politician for the Norwegian Labour Party. She is chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the 5-member committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize. She is also a ...

, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, blamed the Chinese communist regime for his death and said that "Liu Xiaobo had contributed to the fraternity of peoples through his non-violent resistance against the oppressive actions of the Communist regime in China."

Early life and work

Liu was born on 28 December 1955 in Changchun, Jilin province, to a family of intellectuals. Liu's father, Liu Ling (), was born in 1931 in Huaide County, Jilin. A professor of Chinese at Northeast Normal University, he died of liver disease in September 2011. Liu's mother, Zhang Suqin (), worked in the Northeast Normal University Nursery School. Liu Xiaobo was the third-born in a family of five boys. * His eldest brother Liu Xiaoguang (), Dalian import and export clothing company manager, retired. He was estranged from Liu Xiaobo after the 1989 Tiananmen protests. * His second brother, Liu Xiaohui (), is a historian who graduated from the Department of History of Northeast Normal University, and who became deputy director of the Museum of Jilin Province. * His fourth brother Liu Xiaoxuan (), born in 1957, is professor of Energy and Materials, Guangdong University of Technology, engaged in optical functional polymer materials and light curing application technology research. In 1995, he was admitted as a PhD student at Tsinghua University, but Liu Xiaobo's political activities meant he was not allowed to take the examinations. * His youngest brother, Liu Xiaodong (), died of heart disease early in the 1990s. In 1969, during the

Down to the Countryside Movement The Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement, often known simply as the Down to the Countryside Movement, was a policy instituted in the People's Republic of China between mid 1950s and 1978. As a result of what he perceived to ...

, Liu's father took him to

Horqin Right Front Banner Horqin Right Front Banner (Mongolian language, Mongolian: ; ) is a Banner (Inner Mongolia), banner in the east of Inner Mongolia, China, bordering Jilin province to the southeast. It is under the administration of Hinggan League. The local Mo ...

, Inner Mongolia. His father was a professor who remained loyal to the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

. After finishing middle school in 1974, he was sent to the countryside to work on a farm in Jilin. In 1977, Liu was admitted to the Department of Chinese Literature at Jilin University, where he founded a poetry group known as "The Innocent Hearts" (赤子心詩社) with six schoolmates. In 1982, he graduated with a BA in literature before being admitted to the Department of Chinese Literature at Beijing Normal University as a research student, where he received an MA in literature in 1984, and started teaching as a lecturer thereafter. That year, he married Tao Li, with whom he had a son named Liu Tao in 1985. In 1986, Liu started his doctoral study program and published his literary critiques in various magazines. He became renowned as a " dark horse" for his radical opinions and scathing comments on the official doctrines and establishments. Opinions such as these shocked both literary and ideological circles, and his influence on Chinese intellectuals was dubbed the "Liu Xiaobo Shock" or the "Liu Xiaobo Phenomenon". In 1987, his first book, ''Criticism of the Choice: Dialogs with

Li Zehou Li Zehou (; 13 June 1930 – 2 November 2021) was a Chinese scholar of philosophy and intellectual history. He resided in the United States.. coloradocollege.edu He is considered an important modern scholar of Chinese history and culture whose ...

'', was published and became a nonfiction bestseller. It comprehensively criticized the Chinese tradition of

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or a ...

, and posed a frank challenge to Li Zehou, a rising ideological star who had a strong influence on contemporaneous young intellectuals in China. In June 1988, Liu received a PhD in literature. His doctoral thesis, ''Esthetic and Human Freedom'', passed the examination unanimously and was published as his second book. That same year he became a lecturer at the same department. He soon became a visiting scholar at several universities, including

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

, and the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. During the

, Liu was in the United States but he decided to return to China to join the movement. He was later named one of the "four

junzi A junzi ( or "Son of the Monarch") is a Chinese philosophical term often translated as "gentleman," "superior person",Sometimes "exemplary person". Paul R. Goldin translates it "noble man" in an attempt to capture both its early political and la ...

s of Tiananmen Square" for persuading students to leave the square and thus saving hundreds of lives. That year also saw the publication of his third book, ''The Fog of Metaphysics'', a comprehensive review of Western philosophies. Soon, all of his works were banned in China.

Thoughts and political views

On Chinese and Western cultures

Evolving from his esthetic notion of "individual subjectivity" as opposed to

's theory of esthetic subjectivity which combined Marxist materialism and Kantian idealism, he upheld the notion of "esthetic freedom" which was based on the individualistic conception of freedom and esthetics. He also strongly criticized Chinese intellectuals' "traditional attitude of searching for rationalism and harmony as a slave mentality" just as it was criticized by radical left-wing literary critic Lu Hsün during the New Culture Movement. He also echoed the New Cultural Movement's call for wholesale westernization and the rejection of Chinese traditional culture. In a 1988 interview with Hong Kong's ''Liberation Monthly'' (now known as ''Open Magazine''), he said "modernization means wholesale westernization, choosing a human life is choosing a Western way of life. The difference between the Western and the Chinese governing system is humane vs in-humane, there's no middle ground ... Westernization is not a choice of a nation, but a choice for the human race." In the same interview, Liu also criticised the TV documentary '' River Elegy'', for not sufficiently criticising Chinese culture and not promoting westernisation enthusiastically enough. Liu was quoted to have said, "If I were to make this I would show just how wimpy, spineless and fucked-up ��齪、軟弱和操蛋the Chinese really are". Liu regarded it most unfortunate that his monolingualism bound him to the Chinese cultural sphere. When asked what it would take for China to realize a true historical transformation. He replied: In an article in ''

The New York Review of Books ''The New York Review of Books'' (or ''NYREV'' or ''NYRB'') is a semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture, economics, science and current affairs. Published in New York City, it is inspired by the idea that the discussion of i ...

'', Simon Leys wrote that Liu Xiaobo's perception of the West and its relationship to a modernizing China evolved during his travels in the United States and Europe in the 1980s.

During a visit to the
Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
in New York City, he experienced a sort of epiphany that crystallized the turmoil of his latest self-questioning: he realized the shallowness of his own learning in the light of the fabulous riches of the diverse civilizations of the past, and simultaneously perceived the inadequacy of contemporary Western answers to mankind’s modern predicament. His own dream that Westernization could be used to reform China suddenly appeared to him as pathetic as the attitude of 'a paraplegic laughing at a quadriplegic', he confessed at the time: My tendency to idealize Western civilization arises from my nationalistic desire to use the West in order to reform China. But this has led me to overlook the flaws of Western culture ... I have been obsequious toward Western civilization, exaggerating its merits, and at the same time exaggerating my own merits. I have viewed the West as if it were not only the salvation of China but also the natural and ultimate destination of all humanity. Moreover I have used this delusional idealism to assign myself the role of savior ... I now realize that Western civilization, while it can be useful in reforming China in its present stage, cannot save humanity in an overall sense. If we stand back from Western civilization for a moment, we can see that it possesses all the flaws of humanity in general ... If I, as a person who has lived under China's autocratic system for more than thirty years, want to reflect on the fate of humanity or how to be an authentic person, I have no choice but to carry out two critiques simultaneously. I must: # Use Western civilization as a tool to critique China. # Use my own creativity to critique the West.

In 2002, he reflected on his initial

Maoist Maoism, officially called Mao Zedong Thought by the Chinese Communist Party, is a variety of Marxism–Leninism that Mao Zedong developed to realise a socialist revolution in the agricultural, pre-industrial society of the Republic of Ch ...

-flavored radical esthetic and political views in the 1980s: Liu admitted in 2006 in another interview with ''Open Magazine'' (formerly known as ''Liberation Monthly'') that his 1988 response of "300 years of colonialism" was extemporaneous, although he did not intend to retract it, because it represented "an extreme expression of his longheld belief". The quote was nonetheless used against him. He has commented, "Even today n 2006 radical patriotic ' angry youth' still frequently use these words to paint me with '

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

'."

On Chinese democracy

In his letter to his friend

Liao Yiwu Liao may refer to: Chinese history * Liao (Zhou dynasty state) (蓼), two states in ancient China during the Spring and Autumn period in the 8th and 7th centuries BC * Liao of Wu (吳王僚) (died 515 BC), king of Wu during ancient China's Spring a ...

in 2000, he expressed his thoughts on the prospects of the democracy movement in China: He was also a strong critic of Chinese nationalism, believing that the "abnormal nationalism" which had existed in China over the last century had turned from a defensive style which contained "mixed feelings of inferiority, envy, complaint, and blame" into an aggressive form of "patriotism" that was filled with "blind self-confidence, empty boasts, and pent-up hatred". The "ultra-nationalism" being deployed by the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

since the Tiananmen protests has also become "a euphemism for worship of violence in service of autocratic goals." In 2009 during his trial for "

inciting subversion of state power Inciting subversion of state power () is a crime under the law of the People's Republic of China. It is article 105, paragraph 2 of the 1997 revision of the People's Republic of China's Penal Code.Charter 08 Charter 08 is a manifesto initially signed by 303 Chinese dissident intellectuals and human rights activists. It was published on 10 December 2008, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopting its name and style from ...

'' manifesto which demanded freedom of expression, human rights and democratic elections, he wrote an essay known as " I Have No Enemies", stating that "the mentality of enmity can poison a nation's spirit, instigate brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society's tolerance and humanity, and block a nation's progress towards freedom and democracy", and he declared that he had no enemies, and no hatred.

On the Islamic World

In international affairs, he supported U.S. President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

2001 invasion of Afghanistan In late 2001, the United States and its close allies invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban government. The invasion's aims were to dismantle al-Qaeda, which had executed the September 11 attacks, and to deny it a safe base of operati ...

, his

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

and subsequent

reelection The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

. In his 2004 article titled "Victory to the Anglo-American Freedom Alliance", he praised the U.S.-led post- Cold War conflicts as "best examples of how war should be conducted in a modern civilization." He wrote "regardless of the savagery of the terrorists, and regardless of the instability of Iraq's situation, and, what's more, regardless of how patriotic youth might despise proponents of the United States such as myself, my support for the invasion of Iraq will not waver. Just as, from the beginning, I believed that the military intervention of Britain and the United States would be victorious, I am still full of belief in the final victory of the Freedom Alliance and the democratic future of Iraq, and even if the armed forces of Britain and the United States should encounter some obstacles such as those that they are currently facing, this belief of mine will not change." He predicted "a free, democratic and peaceful Iraq will emerge." He commented on Islamism that, "a culture and (religious) system that has produced this kind of threat (

Islamic fundamentalism Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a puritanical, revivalist, and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. Islamic fundamentalists are of the view that Muslim-majority countries should return ...

) must be inherently intolerant and bloodthirsty." He also criticized the

Iraq prison abuse scandals About six months after the United States invasion of Iraq of 2003, rumors of Iraq prison abuse scandals started to emerge. The best known abuse incidents occurred at the large Abu Ghraib prison. Graphic pictures of some of those abuse inciden ...

. During the 2004 US presidential election, Liu again praised Bush for his war effort against Iraq and condemned Democratic Party candidate

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

for not sufficiently supporting the wars in which the U.S. was then involved. On Israel, he said "without America's protection, the long persecuted Jews who faced extermination during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, would probably be drowned once more by the Islamic world's hatred." He had defended U.S. policies in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, which he thought was the fault of the "provocateur" Palestinians.

Human rights activities

On 27 April 1989, Liu returned to Beijing and immediately became an active supporter of the movement. When the

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

seemed ready to violently eject the students who persistently occupied Tiananmen Square in order to challenge the government and the army that was enforcing its declaration of

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

, he initiated a four-man three-day

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke a feeling of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most ...

on 2 June. Later referred to as the "Tiananmen Four Gentlemen Hunger Strike", the action earned the trust of the students. He requested that both the government and the students abandon the ideology of class struggle and adopt a new political culture of dialogue and compromise. Although it was too late to prevent the massacre which started on the night of 3 June from occurring beyond the square, he and his colleagues successfully negotiated with the student leaders and the army commander so the several thousand students who remained in the square would all be allowed to peacefully withdraw from it, thus preventing a possibly much larger scale of bloodshed. On 5 June, Liu was arrested and detained in

Qincheng Prison The Ministry of Public Security Qincheng Prison () is a maximum-security prison located in Qincheng Village, Xingshou, Changping District, Beijing in the People's Republic of China. The prison was built in 1958 with aid from the Soviet Unio ...

for his alleged role in the movement, and three months later he was expelled from Beijing Normal University. The government's media issued numerous publications which labeled him a "mad dog" and a "black hand" because he had allegedly incited and manipulated the student movement to overthrow the government and socialism. His publications were banned, including his fourth book, ''Going Naked Toward God'', which was then in press. In Taiwan however, his first and third books, ''Criticism of the Choice: Dialogues with Leading Thinker Li Zehou'' (1989), and the two-volume ''Mysteries of Thought and Dreams of Mankind'' (1990) were republished with some additions. In January 1991, 19 months after his arrest, Liu Xiaobo was convicted of "counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement" but he was exempted from criminal punishment due to his "major meritorious action" for preventing what could have been a bloody confrontation in Tiananmen Square. After his release, he was divorced; both his ex-wife and son subsequently emigrated to the US. He resumed his writing, mostly on human rights and political issues, but was not allowed to publish them in Mainland China. In 1992, while in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, he published his first book after his imprisonment, ''The Monologues of a Doomsday's Survivor'', a controversial memoir which contains his confessions and his political criticism of the popular movement in 1989. In January 1993, Liu was invited to visit Australia and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

for the interviews in the documentary film '' The Gate of Heavenly Peace''. Although many of his friends suggested that he take refuge abroad, Liu returned to China in May 1993 and continued his freelance writing. On 18 May 1995, the Chinese police took Liu into custody for launching a petition campaign on the eve of the sixth anniversary of the Tiananmen protests calling on the government to reassess the event and initiate political reform. He was held under residential surveillance in the suburbs of Beijing for nine months. He was released in February 1996 but was arrested again on 8 October for writing an October Tenth Declaration, coauthored by him and another prominent dissident, Wang Xizhe, mainly on the Taiwan issue, that advocated a peaceful reunification in order to oppose the Chinese Communist Party's forceful threats against the island. He was ordered to serve three years of

reeducation through labor Re-education through labor (RTL; ), abbreviated ''laojiao'' () was a system of administrative detention on Mainland China. Active from 1957 to 2013, the system was used to detain persons who were accused of committing minor crimes such as pet ...

"for disturbing public order" for that statement. In 1996, while he was still imprisoned in the labor camp, Liu married Liu Xia, who herself was not a prisoner. Because she was the only person from the outside allowed to visit him in prison, she was deemed his "most important link to the outside world." After his release on 7 October 1999, Liu Xiaobo resumed his freelance writing. However, it was reported that the government built a sentry station next to his home and his phone calls and internet connections were tapped. In 2000, while in Taiwan, Liu published the book ''A Nation That Lies to Conscience'', a 400-page political criticism. Also published, in Hong Kong, was a ''Selection of Poems'', a 450-page collection of the poems as correspondences between him and his wife during his imprisonment; it was coauthored by Liu and his wife. The last of three books which he published during the year was published in Mainland China, later titled "Selected Poems of Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia" (劉曉波劉霞詩選), a 250-page collection of literary critiques coauthored by a popular young writer and himself under his unknown pen name of "Lao Xiao". The same year, Liu participated in founding the "Independent Chinese PEN Center," and was elected to both its board of directors and as its president in November 2003; he was reelected to both positions two years later. In 2007, he did not seek reelection as president but held his position as a board member until he was detained by the police in December 2008. In 2003, when Liu started writing a human rights report on China at his home, his computer, letters and documents were all confiscated by the government. He once said, "at Liu Xia's iu's wifebirthday, her best friend brought two bottles of wine to

y home Y, or y, is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or sevent ...

but was blocked by the police from coming in. I ordered a irthdaycake and the police also rejected the man who delivered the cake to us. I quarreled with them and the police said, 'it is for the sake of your security. It has happened many bomb attacks in these days.'" Those measures were loosened until 2007, prior to the

2008 Beijing Olympic Games The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...

. In January 2005, following the death of former Chinese Premier

Zhao Ziyang Zhao Ziyang ( zh, 赵紫阳; pronounced , 17 October 1919 – 17 January 2005) was a Chinese politician. He was the third premier of the People's Republic of China from 1980 to 1987, vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 19 ...

, who had shown sympathy towards the student demonstrations in 1989, Liu was immediately put under house arrest for two weeks before he learned about the death of Zhao. The same year, he published two more books in the US, ''The Future of Free China Exists in Civil Society'', and ''Single-Blade Poisonous Sword: Criticism of Chinese Nationalism''. Liu's writing is considered subversive by the

, and his name is censored. He called for multi-party elections and free markets, advocated the values of freedom, supported separation of powers and urged the governments to be accountable for its wrongdoings. When not in prison, he was the subject of government monitoring and he was also put under house arrest during times that the government considered politically sensitive. Liu's human rights work received international recognition. In 2004, Reporters Without Borders awarded him the Fondation de France Prize as a defender of press freedom.

''Charter 08''

Conception and diffusion of ''Charter 08''

Liu Xiaobo actively participated in the writing of ''Charter 08'' and signed it along with more than three hundred Chinese citizens. The Charter is a manifesto that was released on 10 December 2008 in order to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, ...

. It was written in the style of the Czechoslovak ''

Charter 77 Charter 77 (''Charta 77'' in Czech and Slovak) was an informal civic initiative in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Jiří Něm ...

'', and calls for more freedom of expression, human rights, more democratic elections, the privatization of state enterprises and land, and

economic liberalism Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic liberali ...

. As of September 2010, the Charter had collected over 10,000 signatures.

2008–2017 arrest, trial, and imprisonment

Arrest

Two days before the official release of Charter 08, late on the evening of 8 December 2008, Liu was taken into custody by the police, as was Zhang Zuhua, another scholar and ''Charter 08'' signatory. According to Zhang, the two were detained on suspicion of collecting signatures for the Charter.China Detains Dissidents ahead of Human Rights Day
," Reuters, 9 December 2008;
Report: Chinese Police Detain Political Critic
," Associated Press, 9 December 2008. While Liu was detained in solitary confinement, he was forbidden to meet with either his lawyer or his family, but he was allowed to eat lunch with his wife, Liu Xia, and two policemen on New Year's Day 2009. On 23 June 2009, the Beijing procuratorate approved Liu's arrest on charges of "suspicion of inciting subversion of state power," a crime under Article 105 of China's Criminal Law. In a

Xinhua Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...

news release announcing Liu's arrest, the Beijing

Public Security Bureau A Public Security Bureau (PSB) () of a city or county, or Public Security Department (PSD) () of a province or autonomous region, in the People's Republic of China refers to a government office essentially acting as a police station or a local ...

alleged that Liu had incited the subversion of state power and the overthrow of the socialist system through methods such as spreading rumors and slander, citing almost verbatim Article 105; the Beijing PSB also noted that Liu had "fully confessed".

Trial

On 1 December 2009, Beijing police transferred Liu's case to the procuratorate for investigation and processing; on 10 December, the procuratorate formally indicted Liu on charges of "

inciting subversion of state power Inciting subversion of state power () is a crime under the law of the People's Republic of China. It is article 105, paragraph 2 of the 1997 revision of the People's Republic of China's Penal Code. Diplomats from more than a dozen countries – including the U.S., Britain, Canada, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand – were denied access to the court in order to watch the trial and they all stood outside the court for its duration. Among them were Gregory May, political officer at the U.S. Embassy, and Nicholas Weeks, first secretary of the Swedish Embassy. Liu wrote a statement, entitled " I have no enemies", intending for it to be read at his trial. He was never given the right to speak. The essay was later read in the

ceremony, which Liu was unable to attend due to his imprisonment. On 25 December 2009, Liu was sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment and two years' deprivation of political rights by the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate Court on charges of "inciting subversion of state power". According to Liu's family and counsel, he planned to appeal the judgment. In the verdict, ''Charter 08'' was named as part of the evidence supporting his conviction. John Pomfret of ''The Washington Post'' said Christmas Day was chosen to dump the news because the Chinese government believed Westerners were less likely to take notice on a holiday. Liu argued that his verdict violated both the Chinese constitution and the

of the United Nations. He argued that charges against him of 'spreading rumors, slandering and in other ways inciting the subversion of the government and overturning the socialist system' were contrived, as he did not fabricate or create false information, nor did he besmirch the good name and character of others by merely expressing a point of view, a value judgment. Criminal law professor Gao Mingxuan characterized Liu's activities as publishing provocative speech on the Internet and gathering signatures to advocate the overthrow of government, activities he argued were prohibited by Chinese criminal law. However, Liu was advocating for the incremental and peaceful adoption of a democratic system with individual rights. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China asserted that there are similar laws in many countries to prevent activities to advocate the overthrow of government, such as the Treason Act 1351 of England. Solidarity with Liu Xiaobo

Liu's detention was condemned worldwide by both

human rights organizations :''The list is incomplete; please add known articles or create missing ones'' The following is a list of articles on the human rights organisations of the world. It does not include political parties, or academic institutions. The list includes ...

and foreign countries. On 11 December 2008, the

U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other ...

called for Liu's release, which was followed on 22 December 2008 by a similar request from a consortium of scholars, writers, lawyers and human rights advocates. Additionally, on 21 January 2009, 300 international writers, including

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and We ...

, Margaret Atwood,

Ha Jin Jin Xuefei (; born February 21, 1956) is a Chinese-American poet and novelist using the pen name Ha Jin (). ''Ha'' comes from his favorite city, Harbin. His poetry is associated with the Misty Poetry movement. Early life Ha Jin was born in ...

and

Jung Chang Jung Chang (, , born 25 March 1952) is a Chinese-British writer now living in London, best known for her family autobiography ''Wild Swans'', selling over 10 million copies worldwide but banned in the People's Republic of China. Her 832-page ...

, called for Liu's release in a statement put out through

. In March 2009, the

One World Film Festival One World ( Czech: ''Jeden svět'') is the largest human rights film festival in the world (125,947 spectators in 2018), held annually in Prague and other 36 cities of the Czech Republic, with a selection later shown in Brussels and other countries ...

awarded Liu Xiaobo the Homo Homini Award, organized by the People in Need foundation, for promoting freedom of speech, democratic principles and human rights. In December 2009, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

and United States issued formal appeals calling for the unconditional release of Liu Xiaobo. China's government, responding to the international calls prior to the verdict, stated that other nations should "respect China's judicial sovereignty and not do things that will interfere in China's internal affairs". Responding to the verdict, United Nations Human Rights Commissioner

Navanethem Pillay Navanethem "Navi" Pillay (born 23 September 1941) is a South African jurist who served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. A South African of Indian Tamil origin, she was the first non-white woman judge o ...

expressed concern about the deterioration of political rights in China. German Chancellor

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Opp ...

strongly criticized the verdict, stating "despite the great progress in other areas in the expression of views, I regret that the Chinese government still massively restricts press freedom." Canada and Switzerland also condemned the verdict. The Republic of China President

Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, 馬英九, born 13 July 1950) is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese politician who served as president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. Previously, he served as justice minister from 1993 to 1996 and mayor of Taipei fro ...

called on Beijing to "tolerate dissent". On 6 January 2010, former Czech president Václav Havel joined with other communist-era dissidents at the Chinese Embassy in Prague to present a petition calling for Liu's release. On 22 January 2010,

European Association for Chinese Studies The European Association for Chinese Studies (; EACS) is an international scholarly association representing China scholars from Europe. It was founded in 1975 and is registered in Paris. The Association is governed by a Board and its daily activit ...

sent an open letter to Hu Jintao on behalf of over 800 scholars from 36 countries calling for Liu's release. On 18 January 2010, Liu was nominated for the

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then ...

, the

14th Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...

André Glucksmann André Glucksmann (; 19 June 1937 – 10 November 2015) was a French philosopher, activist and writer. He was a leading figure of the new philosophers. Glucksmann began his career as a Marxist, but went on to reject communism in the popular bo ...

, Vartan Gregorian, Mike Moore,

Karel Schwarzenberg Prince Karel of Schwarzenberg (, born 10 December 1937) is a Czech politician, former leader of the TOP 09 party and was its candidate for president of the Czech Republic in the 2013 election. He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies ( ...

, Desmond Tutu and

Grigory Yavlinsky Grigory Alekseyevich Yavlinsky ( Russian: Григо́рий Алексе́евич Явли́нский; born 10 April 1952) is a Russian economist and politician. He authored the 500 Days Program, a plan for the transition of the Soviet regim ...

. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu stated that awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu would be "totally wrong". Geir Lundestad, a secretary of the Nobel Committee, stated the award would not be influenced by Beijing's opposition. On 25 September 2010, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' reported that a petition in support of the Nobel nomination was being circulated in China. On 14 September 2010, the Mayor of

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

Jón Gnarr Jón Gnarr (; born 2 January 1967)This is an Icelandic name. ''Kristinsson'' is the patronymic, but he is properly referred to as ''Jón Gnarr'' as he had it legally removed. is an Icelandic actor, comedian, and politician who served as the Ma ...

, met on an unrelated matter with CPC Politburo member Liu Qi and demanded China set the dissident Liu Xiaobo free. Also that September

, Dana Němcová and Václav Malý, leaders of

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...

, published an open letter in the '' International Herald Tribune'' calling for the award to be given to Liu, while a petition began to circulate soon afterwards. On 6 October 2010, the non-governmental organization Freedom Now, which serves as an international counsel to Liu Xiaobo as retained by his family, publicly released a letter from 30 members of the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

to President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

, urging him to directly raise both Liu's case and that of fellow imprisoned dissident

Gao Zhisheng Gao Zhisheng (born 20 April 1964) is a Chinese human rights attorney and dissident known for defending activists and religious minorities and documenting human rights abuses in China. Because of his work, Zhisheng has been disbarred and det ...

to Chinese President Hu Jintao at the G-20 Summit in November 2010. The Republic of China's President Ma Ying-jiu congratulated Liu on winning the Nobel Prize and requested that the Chinese authorities improve their impression in the eyes of the world by respecting human rights, but did not call for his release from prison. On 15 October 2010, the '' China News Service'' indicated that in 2008 Liu had received a financial endowment from the

National Endowment for Democracy The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is an organization in the United States that was founded in 1983 for promoting democracy in other countries by promoting political and economic institutions such as political groups, trade unions, ...

, which is "''a Washington-based nonprofit funded largely by the US Congress''". In 2011, a WorldWideReading was dedicated to Liu Xiaobo; on 20 March, readings in more than 60 towns and cities on all continents and broadcast via radio stations were held in his honor. The " Freedom for Liu Xiaobo" appeal was supported by more than 700 writers from around the world, among them Nobel Prize laureates John M. Coetzee, Nadine Gordimer,

Herta Müller Herta Müller (; born 17 August 1953) is a Romanian-born German novelist, poet, essayist and recipient of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Nițchidorf (german: Nitzkydorf, link=no), Timiș County in Romania, her native language is G ...

and Elfriede Jelinek, as well as Breyten Breytenbach, Eliot Weinberger, Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Mario Vargas Llosa, Wolf Biermann and Dave Eggers. On 20 March 2011, the international literature festival called for a worldwide reading for Liu Xiaobo. More than 700 authors from all continents signed the appeal and over 150 institutions took part in the event. On 19 November 2013, his wife, Liu Xia, who was placed under house arrest shortly after Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, filed an appeal for Liu Xiaobo's retrial. This move has been called "extraordinary" because the action could refocus the world's attention on China's human rights record. According to her attorney, Mo Shaoping, Liu Xia visited her husband in

Jinzhou Jinzhou (, ), formerly Chinchow, is a coastal prefecture-level city in central-west Liaoning province, China. It is a geographically strategic city located in the Liaoxi Corridor, which connects most of the land transports between North Chin ...

Prison in Liaoning and gained his approval before filing this motion.

Nobel Peace Prize

On 8 October 2010, the Nobel Committee awarded Liu the Nobel Peace Prize "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China", saying that Liu had long been front-runner as the recipient of the prize. Liu's wife, Liu Xia, expressed gratitude on behalf of her husband to the Nobel Committee, Liu's proposers, and those who have been supporting him since 1989, including the

Tiananmen Mothers The Tiananmen Mothers ( zh, 天安门母亲) is a group of Chinese democracy activists promoting a change in the government's position over the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. It is led by Ding Zilin, a retired university professor whos ...

—family members or representatives of those who were killed, or had disappeared, in the military crackdown of the protests of 4 June 1989. She said, "The prize should belong to all who signed ''Charter 08'' and were jailed due to their support". Liu Xia informed her husband of his award during a visit to Jinzhou Prison on 9 October 2010, one day after the official announcement. She reported that Liu wept and dedicated the award to those who suffered as a result of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, saying: "The award is first and foremost for the Tiananmen martyrs" After Mrs. Liu returned home, she was put under house arrest and was watched by armed guards. She expressed the desire to attend the awards ceremony in Norway in December, but was skeptical of her chances of being allowed to do so. Liu Xia wrote an open letter to 143 prominent figures, encouraging them to attend the award ceremony in Oslo. China reacted negatively to the award, immediately censoring news about the announcement of the award in China, though later that day limited news of the award became available. Foreign news broadcasters including

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

and the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

were immediately blocked, while heavy censorship was applied to personal communications. The Chinese Foreign Ministry denounced the award to Liu Xiaobo, saying that it "runs completely counter to the principle of the award and it is also a desecration of the Peace Prize". The Norwegian ambassador to the People's Republic of China was summoned by the Foreign Ministry on 8 October 2010 and presented with an official complaint about the granting of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu. The Chinese government has called Liu Xiaobo a criminal and stated that he does not deserve the prize. Chinese dissident

Wei Jingsheng Wei Jingsheng (; born 20 May 1950) is a Chinese human rights activist and dissident. He is best known for his involvement in the Chinese democracy movement. He is most prominent for having authored the essay " The Fifth Modernization", which w ...

, in his response to news of the award, criticized Liu by calling him "the accomplice of the Communist regime." As a result, nearly all large-scale commercial trading between Norway and China was limited, and relations soured until after Liu Xiaobo's death in 2017, when talks resumed. In October 2018, the Norwegian King

Harald V Harald V ( no, Harald den femte, ; born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway. He acceded to the throne on 17 January 1991. Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the li ...

visited Beijing and met with Chinese president Xi Jinping, symbolizing the recovery of China-Norway relations. ''

Global Times The ''Global Times'' () is a daily tabloid newspaper under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper, the '' People's Daily'', commenting on international issues from a Chinese ultra-nationalistic perspective. The pub ...

'', part of the Chinese government-owned '' People's Daily'', published a statement saying that Liu Xiaobo and his case had properly undergone "strict legal procedure", blaming Western regimes for sensationalizing the Liu Xiaobo story "in defiance of China's judicial sovereignty". The Chinese paper also rejected the view that Liu Xiaobo should be described as "China's

Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

", by stating: "Mandela was a Nobel Peace Prize laureate for leading African people to anti-apartheid victory through struggles ... however, awarding a Chinese prisoner who confronted authorities and was rejected by mainstream Chinese society derides China's judicial system ...

hich Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...

makes sure a society of 1.3 billion people runs smoothly." Following the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize, celebrations in China were either stopped or curtailed, and prominent intellectuals and other dissidents were detained, harassed or put under surveillance; Liu's wife, Liu Xia, was placed under house arrest and she was forbidden to talk to reporters even though no official charges were filed against her. Sixty-five countries with missions in Norway were all invited to the Nobel Prize ceremony, but fifteen of them declined the invitation, in some cases due to heavy lobbying by China. Besides China, these countries included Russia, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Venezuela, Egypt, Sudan, Cuba, and Morocco. China also imposed travel restrictions on known dissidents ahead of the ceremony. A Chinese group announced that its answer to the Nobel Peace Prize, the

Confucius Peace Prize The Confucius Peace Prize () was a Chinese alternative to the Nobel Peace Prize established in 2010 by the Association of Chinese Indigenous Arts in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The prize was created in response to a proposal by business ...

, would be awarded to former Taiwanese Vice-President

Lien Chan Lien Chan (; born 27 August 1936) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the Chairman of the Taiwan Provincial Government from 1990 to 1993, Premier of the Republic of China from 1993 to 1997, Vice President of the Republic of China from 1996 to 20 ...

for the bridge of peace which he has been building between Taiwan and Mainland China. Lien Chan himself denied any knowledge of the $15,000 prize.

Medical parole and health

On 26 June 2017, it was reported that Liu had been granted medical parole after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer in late May 2017. The Shenyang Justice Ministry released a statement on 5 July saying that the First Hospital of China Medical University, where Liu was being treated, has invited cancer experts from the United States, Germany and other nations to join its team of doctors. However, the statement did not mention which foreign doctors had been invited or whether or not any of them had responded. A statement one day later from the hospital said that Liu was admitted on 7 June. On 8 July, the hospital said that Joseph M. Herman of

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (colloquially MD Anderson Cancer Center) is a comprehensive cancer center in Houston, Texas. It is the largest cancer center in the U.S. and one of the original three comprehensive cancer centers ...

and Markus Büchler of

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, B ...

had joined domestic experts for group consultation. The foreign doctors said that Liu had indicated that he wanted to be sent abroad for treatment. Acknowledging the risk that is involved when a patient is moved, they deemed that Liu was fit to travel abroad in order to receive the care which they were willing to provide him. However, the hospital said that the foreign doctors had confirmed that even they had no better treatment methods and also that the domestic doctors had done a very good job. On 10 July, the hospital said that Liu was in critical condition, and that he was suffering from an increasingly bloated stomach, an inflamed

abdominal wall In anatomy, the abdominal wall represents the boundaries of the abdominal cavity. The abdominal wall is split into the anterolateral and posterior walls. There is a common set of layers covering and forming all the walls: the deepest being the ...

, falling blood pressure, faltering kidneys, growing cancer lesions, and that they were actively rescuing him, and were starting to use continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). On 12 July, the hospital said that Liu was suffering from liver failure ( Child–Pugh class C), kidney failure,

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...

, septic shock,

blood clot A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of ...

, etc. and that they had communicated the necessity for

tracheal intubation Tracheal intubation, usually simply referred to as intubation, is the placement of a flexible plastic tube into the trachea (windpipe) to maintain an open airway or to serve as a conduit through which to administer certain drugs. It is frequentl ...

, but his family had rejected the procedure. The ''New York Times'' reported that Liu's family could not be independently reached for confirmation of his condition.

Death and funeral

Liu Xiaobo died on 13 July 2017 in Shenyang's First Hospital of China Medical University from liver cancer.

Censorship

Since his death, the fate of Liu Xiaobo has been compared by the media of the world to that of

, Nobel Laureate in 1935 who also died as a prisoner of an authoritarian regime. Whilst Liu's death was widely reported in the Western media, it was mentioned only in the most perfunctory manner in the press inside mainland China. Censors deleted images or emojis of candles, or a simple "RIP"; searches on Sina Weibo regarding Liu's health returned the message: "According to relevant laws and policies, results for 'Liu Xiaobo' cannot be displayed". The

Citizen Lab The Citizen Lab is an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, Canada. It was founded by Ronald Deibert in 2001. The laboratory studies information controls that impact the openness ...

documented censorship of the death of Liu Xiaobo on

WeChat WeChat () is a Chinese instant messaging, social media, and mobile payment app developed by Tencent. First released in 2011, it became the world's largest standalone mobile app in 2018, with over 1 billion monthly active users. WeChat has b ...

and Weibo." They noted on 16 July censorship on WeChat of images related to Liu after his death, and found that even images were being blocked in one-to-one chat the first time as well as in group chat and WeChat Moments. Based on analyses of search term blocking on Weibo, the lab confirmed that a blanket ban on searches for Liu Xiaobo's name was still being applied. They said: "In fact, just his given name of Xiaobo is enough to trigger censorship in English and both Simplified and Traditional Chinese..." On the early morning of 15 July 2017, a brief funeral service was held for Liu which Liu's body was cremated following a short mourning service. Liu's mourning ceremony and funeral were heavily stage-managed as friends and supporters had been warned that public funeral or memorial would not be tolerated. All the questions international journalists have been asking about Liu failed to appear in official transcripts of news briefings by the Chinese foreign ministry. Germany, UK, France, the United States, Taiwan and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, called for the People's Republic of China to allow Liu Xiaobo's wife Liu Xia to travel and leave the country if she wishes.

Funeral

The funeral was organized in a heavy-handed fashion in which Chinese government attempted to defend their treatment of Liu and his wife, even though it was clear they and their family members were under perpetual surveillance. Although the funeral was attended by a brother of Ms. Liu and two of Mr. Liu's brothers and their wives, none of Liu's friends could be identified from official photographs of the mourners. A government spokesman said: "Liu Xia is free now, ut wasgrief-stricken and doesn't need to be disturbed" However, she has been out of sight since the video of Liu's sea burial. The government claimed that Liu had been cremated, and his ashes scattered into the sea at the family's own request. His eldest brother, Liu Xiaoguang appeared at the same press briefing, thanked the Chinese Communist party and also the government "because everything they have done for our family shows a high level of humanity and personal care to us". According to Liu Xiaobo's biographer

Yu Jie Yu Jie (), is a Chinese-American writer and Calvinist democracy activist. The bestselling author of more than 30 books, Yu was described by the ''New York Review of Books'' in 2012 as "one of China's most prominent essayists and critics". Yu Ji ...

, Liu had excommunicated his eldest brother, Xiaoguang, after the 4 June incident, calling him a "petty bureaucrat of the Communist Party". Yu further criticized Xiaoguang for usurping Liu Xia's position of next of kin and his "shamelessness" in attempting to grab a share of Liu's Nobel Prize money. The government of China has been accused by Liu's supporters of trying to erase any shrine or traces to Liu Xiaobo with a sea burial of his remains. Chinese human rights activists Hu Jia stated to the '' South China Morning Post'' that the hasty actions were "humiliating to a Nobel winner". In Hong Kong, which still enjoys a rapidly diminishing range of civil rights that are nonexistent in mainland China, activists organized the only large-scale commemoration for Liu on Chinese soil. A vigil outside the Beijing Liaison Office started on 10 July and continued until his death. Some newspapers in the city splashed Liu's portrait on their front pages to announce his death, while other pro-Communist journals relegated coverage to the inner pages. In the Legislative Council legislators of the

Pro-democracy camp The pro-democracy camp, also known as the pan-democracy camp, is a political alignment in Hong Kong that supports increased democracy, namely the universal suffrage of the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council as given by the Basic L ...

made seven attempts to table a debate on Liu, but president of the council, Andrew Leung, who is from the governing faction, rejected the attempts on the grounds that the matter did not have "urgent public importance according to 16.2 of the Rules of Procedure, nd thatthe wording of their petitions lacked neutrality".

Reactions

Sinosphere

: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' spokesman

Geng Shuang Geng Shuang (; born April 1973) is a Chinese politician serving as China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He formerly served as the deputy director of the Foreign Ministry Information Department of the People's Republic o ...

chastised foreign officials' "improper comments on Liu Xiaobo's death of illness" and said that China had lodged "stern representations" with their countries. Geng also said on 14 July that "Conferring the prize to such a person goes against the purposes of this award. It's a blasphemy of the peace prize", according to the ''

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

''. But an almost identical report from ''Voice of America Chinese'' also wrote that Geng's statement could not be found from the regular press briefing's Q&A transcript posted on the ministry's website. : President of the Republic of China

Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician serving as president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2016. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Tsai is the first female president of Taiwan. She served as ...

pleaded with the Communist government to "show confidence in engaging in political reform so that the Chinese can enjoy the God-given rights of freedom and democracy ... The

Chinese Dream The Chinese Dream () is a term closely associated with Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and China's paramount leader. Xi began promoting the phrase as a slogan during a high-profile tour of an exhibit at th ...

is not supposed to be about military might. It should be about taking ideas like those from Liu Xiaobo into consideration. Only through democracy, in which every Chinese person has freedom and respect, can China truly become a proud and important country." In his tribute on Facebook, former ROC President and leader of the Kuomintang

said the Chinese dream should develop proportionally on freedom and human rights. Mayor of Taipei

Ko Wen-je Ko Wen-je (; born 6 August 1959), also known by his nickname, Ko P (), is a Taiwanese politician and physician. Ko was mayor of Taipei from 2014 to 2022, and Chairman of the Taiwan People's Party since 2019. Before becoming mayor, he was a docto ...

expressed condolences.

Tibetan Government in Exile The Central Tibetan Administration (, , ), often referred to as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, is a non-profit political organization based in Dharamshala, India. Its organization is modeled after an elective parliamentary government, compo ...

: The

, who himself is the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, and Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile,

Lobsang Sangay Lobsang Sangay (, ; born 5 September 1968) is a Tibetan-American politician who was Kalon Tripa of the Tibetan Administration from 2011 to 2012, and Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration from 2012 to 2021. The Tibetan Administration ...

mourned the death of Liu. The Dalai Lama issued the following short statement on 14 July 2017, "I am deeply saddened to learn that fellow Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo has passed away while undergoing a lengthy prison sentence. I offer my prayers and condolences to his wife, Liu Xia and to other members of his family. Although he is no longer living, the rest of us can best pay honor to Liu Xiaobo by carrying forward the principles he has long embodied, which would lead to a more harmonious, stable and prosperous China. It is my belief that Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo's unceasing efforts in the cause of freedom will bear fruit before long."

International

= States

= : President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted a press conference for visiting US President Trump, later paid tribute to Dr Liu in a tweet, praising him as "a freedom fighter". French Foreign Minister

Jean-Yves Le Drian Jean-Yves Le Drian (; born 30 June 1947) is a French politician who served as Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs in the governments of Prime Ministers Édouard Philippe and Jean Castex (2017–2022) and as Minister of Defence under Presi ...

expressed condolences as well. : Chancellor

described Liu Xiaobo as a "courageous fighter for civil rights and freedom of expression". Foreign Minister

Sigmar Gabriel Sigmar Hartmut Gabriel (born 12 September 1959) is a German politician who was the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2018 and the vice-chancellor of Germany from 2013 to 2018. He was Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germa ...

said that "China now has the responsibility to quickly, transparently and plausibly answer the question of whether the cancer could not have been identified much earlier." : Both the Minister of Foreign affairs Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary

Yoshihide Suga is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2020 to 2021. He had served as Chief Cabinet Secretary during the second administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fro ...

expressed condolences. : Prime Minister of Norway

Erna Solberg Erna Solberg (; born 24 February 1961) is a Norwegian politician and the current Leader of the Opposition. She served as the 35th prime minister of Norway from 2013 to 2021, and has been Leader of the Conservative Party since May 2004. Solberg w ...

said that "It is with deep grief that I received the news of Liu Xiaobo's passing. Liu Xiaobo was for decades a central voice for human rights and China's further development."

Thorbjørn Jagland Thorbjørn Jagland (born Thorbjørn Johansen; , 5 November 1950) is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. He served as the secretary general of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019. He served as the 32nd prime minister of Norway from ...

, a member and former chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and a former Prime Minister of Norway, compared Liu Xiaobo to

, noting that he became the second Nobel Prize laureate who was prevented from receiving the prize because he died in prison. An official statement by the Norwegian Nobel Committee blamed the Chinese communist regime for Liu Xiaobo's death and condemned the erosion of human rights as a universal value; on behalf of the committee, chairwoman Reiss-Andersen said that "Liu Xiaobo had contributed to the fraternity of peoples through his non-violent resistance against the oppressive actions of the Communist regime in China" and that "the Chinese Government bears a heavy responsibility for his premature death". Reiss-Andersen said Liu Xiaobo will remain "a powerful symbol for all who fight for freedom, democracy and a better world". She also lamented the "sad and disturbing fact that the representatives of the free world, who themselves hold democracy and human rights in high regard, are less willing to stand up for those rights for the benefit of others." : Foreign Secretary

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

called Liu a "lifelong campaigner for democracy, human rights and peace", and said that his death was a huge loss. He further stated that "Liu Xiaobo should have been allowed to choose his own medical treatment overseas" and called for the Chinese authorities "to lift all restrictions" on Liu's widow. : The White House Press Secretary issued a statement of condolences. Secretary of State

Rex Tillerson Rex Wayne Tillerson (born March 23, 1952) is an American engineer and energy executive who served as the 69th U.S. secretary of state from February 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018, under President Donald Trump. Prior to joining the Trump administ ...

said that "Mr Liu dedicated his life to the betterment of his country and humankind, and to the pursuit of justice and liberty," and urged Beijing to free Liu's widow. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and U.S. Ambassador to China

Terry Branstad Terry Edward Branstad (born November 17, 1946) is an American politician and former diplomat. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979 before serving as governor of Iowa f ...

both expressed condolences. The

Congressional-Executive Commission on China The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) is an independent agency of the U.S. government which monitors human rights and rule of law developments in the People's Republic of China. It was created in October 2001 under Title III of ...

, whose commissioners come from both the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

and Senate, issued a bipartisan statement. The

United States House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations The U.S. House Subcommittee on Africa is a subcommittee within the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It was known in previous Congresses as the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations; those matters ...

held a hearing on Liu and his death (entitled "The Tragic Case of Liu Xiaobo"). Nancy Pelosi, the House Minority Leader, was saddened by the news of Liu's passing. Back on 18 May, both

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Senator

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...

and Representative

Mark Meadows Mark Randall Meadows (born July 28, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 29th White House chief of staff from 2020 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 11th c ...

had re-introduced bills to resume their push to rename the address of Embassy of China in Washington, D.C. as "1 Liu Xiaobo Plaza."

Bob Fu Bob Fu () is a Chinese American pastor. In 2002, he founded China Aid, which provides legal aid to Christians in China, and has been its president since then. Bob Fu was born in Shandong in 1968 and studied English literature at Liaocheng Univ ...

, a Chinese American human rights activist and pastor, told

The Texas Tribune ''The Texas Tribune'' is a news website headquartered in Austin, Texas. It aims to promote civic engagement through original, explanatory journalism and public events. Its website and content in various delivery platforms serve as an alternati ...

that he is "definitely more optimistic" about Cruz's bill getting enacted with President Trump in office. Later Senator Marco Rubio wrote a letter, which was sent to Liu Xia, Liu Xiaobo's widow. Senator John McCain said that "this is only the latest example of Communist China's assault on human rights, democracy, and freedom." Former President

and First Lady Laura Bush also expressed condolences.

= Organizations

= : President of the European Commission

Jean-Claude Juncker Jean-Claude Juncker (; born 9 December 1954) is a Luxembourgish politician who served as the 21st Prime Minister of Luxembourg from 1995 to 2013 and 12th President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019. He also served as Finance Minister ...

and President of the European Council

Donald Tusk Donald Franciszek Tusk ( , ; born 22 April 1957) is a Polish politician who was President of the European Council from 2014 to 2019. He served as the 14th Prime Minister of Poland from 2007 to 2014 and was a co-founder and leader of the Civic ...

said in a joint statement that they had learned of Liu's death "with deep sadness" and that "We appeal to the Chinese authorities to allow his wife, Ms Liu Xia and his family to bury Liu Xiaobo at a place and in a manner of their choosing, and to allow them to grieve in peace". : UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said, "The human rights movement in China and across the world has lost a principled champion who devoted his life to defending and promoting human rights, peacefully and consistently, and who was jailed for standing up for his beliefs. Liu Xiaobo was the true embodiment of the democratic, non-violent ideals he so ardently advocated."

Major works

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Awards and honors

* Hellman-Hammett Grant (1990, 1996) * China Foundation on Democracy Education for Outstanding Democratic Activist (2003) * Fondation de France Prize for defender of press freedom (2004) *

Hong Kong Human Rights Press Awards The Hong Kong Human Rights Press Awards recognize coverage of issues included in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United N ...

(2004, 2005, 2006) :*Excellent Award (2004) for an article ''Corrupted News is not News'', published on Open Magazine, January 2004 issue :*Grand Prize (2005) for an article ''Paradise of the Powerful, Hell of the Vulnerable'' on Open Magazine, September 2004 issue :*Excellent Award (2006) for ''The Causes and Ending of Shanwei Bloodshed'' on Open Magazine, January 2006 *

Asia-Pacific Human Rights Foundation Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Is ...

(Australia) Courage of Conscience Award (2007) *

People in Need People in Need (PIN) ( cz, Člověk v tísni) is a Czech nonprofit, non-governmental organisation based in Prague, Czech Republic. PIN implements humanitarian relief and long term development projects, educational programmes, and human rights pr ...

(Czech) Homo Homini Award (2009) *

PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award Awards presented by the PEN American Center (today PEN America) that are no longer active. The awards are among many PEN awards sponsored by International PEN in over 145 PEN centres around the world. The PEN American Center awards have been ...

(2009) *

Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars The Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars (IFCSS) was founded on August 1, 1989, when over 1000 Chinese student representatives from more than 200 Chinese Students and Scholars Association in major U.S. universities held their ...

(USA) Free Spirit Award (2009) * German PEN Hermann Kesten Medal (2010) *

(2010) *

Giuseppe Motta Medal Giuseppe Motta Medal is presented annually since 2004 by the Geneva Institute for Democracy and Development to the people from any country or region of the world for exceptional achievement in the promotion of peace and democracy, human rights a ...

(2010) * Honorary member of German, American, Portuguese, Czech and Sydney PEN Centers and Honorary President of Independent Chinese PEN Center. A statue of Liu Xiaobo in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

was removed in November 2021 after the police objected to its presence.

References

{{Reflist , colwidth = 30em , refs = {{cite press release, url=https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2017/07/statement_by_ministerofforeignaffairsfollowingdeathofliuxiaobo.html, title=Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs following death of Liu Xiaobo, date=13 July 2017, first=Chrystia, last=Freeland, publisher=

Global Affairs Canada Global Affairs Canada (GAC; french: Affaires mondiales Canada; AMC)''Global Affairs Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (). is the department ...

, access-date=14 July 2017, archive-date=8 October 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008210115/https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2017/07/statement_by_ministerofforeignaffairsfollowingdeathofliuxiaobo.html, url-status=live {{Cite book, title=Biography of Liu Xiaobo, url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1656918/Liu-Xiaobo, publisher=

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various t ...

, year=2010, access-date=23 June 2022, archive-date=2 April 2015, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402142502/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1656918/Liu-Xiaobo, url-status=live Frances Romero
Top 10 Political Prisoners
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

'', 15 November 2010. Mark McDonald
An inside look at China's most famous political prisoner
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729065900/https://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/23/an-inside-look-at-chinas-most-famous-political-prisoner/ , date=29 July 2017 , ''

'', 23 July 2012.

Political Prisoner Database:Liu Xiaobo
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016224848/http://ppd.cecc.gov/QueryResultsDetail.aspx?PrisonerNum=3114 , date=16 October 2012 . {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40403416, title=Liu Xiaobo: Jailed Chinese dissident has terminal cancer, work=BBC News, date=26 June 2017, access-date=20 June 2018, archive-date=9 May 2018, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509225936/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40403416, url-status=live Benjamin Kang Lim
China's top dissident arrested for subversion
Reuters, 24 June 2009. {{cite news , url=http://cn.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1010/0/3/6/101003632.html?coluid=0&kindid=0&docid=101003632 , language=zh-cn , script-title=zh:刘晓波因涉嫌煽动颠覆国家政权罪被依法逮捕 , trans-title=Liu Xiaobo Formally Arrested on 'Suspicion of Inciting Subversion of State Power' Charges , work=China Review News , date=24 June 2009 , access-date=24 June 2009 , archive-date=30 June 2009 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630015227/http://cn.chinareviewnews.com/doc/1010/0/3/6/101003632.html?coluid=0&kindid=0&docid=101003632 , url-status=dead Beijing No. 1 Intermediate Court, Criminal Verdict no. (2009) yi zhong xing chu zi 3901, Human Rights in China,
International Community Speaks Out on Liu Xiaobo Verdict
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220911142556/https://www.hrichina.org/en/content/360 , date=11 September 2022 ," 30 December 2009. {{cite web, author=Dwyer Arce, url=http://jurist.org/paperchase/2010/12/china-dissident-liu-xiaobo-awarded-nobel-peace-prize-in-absentia.php, title=China dissident Liu Xiaobo awarded Nobel Peace Prize in absentia, date=10 December 2010, publisher= JURIST, access-date=21 April 2011, archive-date=16 July 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716204437/http://www.jurist.org/paperchase/2010/12/china-dissident-liu-xiaobo-awarded-nobel-peace-prize-in-absentia.php, url-status=live {{Citation , url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2010/announcement.html , title=The Nobel Peace Prize 2010 – Prize Announcement , date=8 October 2010 , publisher=Nobel Prize , access-date=8 October 2010 , archive-date=14 July 2017 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714221654/https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2010/announcement.html , url-status=live {{Citation , url=http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/20101008/news_20101008_55_703618.htm , language=zh-hk , script-title=zh:劉曉波獲諾貝爾和平獎 , trans-title=Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize , date=8 October 2010 , work=

RTHK Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the public broadcasting service in Hong Kong. GOW, the predecessor to RTHK, was established in 1928 as the first broadcasting service in Hong Kong. As a government department under the Commerce and Econo ...

, url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011093444/http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/expressnews/20101008/news_20101008_55_703618.htm , archive-date=11 October 2010 McKinnon, Mark
"Liu Xiaobo could win the Nobel Peace Prize, and he’d be the last to know"
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812041629/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/asia-pacific/liu-xiaobo-could-win-the-nobel-peace-prize-and-hed-be-the-last-to-know/article1747791/ , date=12 August 2016 . ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

''. 7 October 2010. 'Ms. Liu said her husband had been told by his lawyer during a recent visit that he had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but he would be shocked if he won, she said. "I think he would definitely find it hard to believe. He never thought of being nominated, he never mentioned any awards. For so many years, he has been calling for people to back the

(a support group formed by parents of students killed in the 1989 demonstrations).."' {{cite news, author=Lovell, Julia, url=https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/julia-lovell-beijing-values-the-nobels-thats-why-this-hurts-2101812.html, title=Beijing values the Nobels. That's why this hurts, date=9 October 2010, work=The Independent, location=UK, access-date=9 October 2010, archive-date=10 October 2010, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010160620/http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/julia-lovell-beijing-values-the-nobels-thats-why-this-hurts-2101812.html, url-status=live Wachter, Paul (18 November 2010)
"Liu Xiaobo wasn't the First Nobel Laureate Barred From Accepting His Prize"
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221234853/http://www.aolnews.com/2010/11/18/liu-xiaobo-isnt-the-first-nobel-laureate-barred-from-accepting/ , date=21 December 2010 .

AOL News AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. ...

{{cite web , url = http://cneffpaysages.blog.lemonde.fr/2017/07/17/liu-xiaobo-carl-von-ossietzky/ , title = Liu Xiaobo – Carl von Ossietzky , author =

Christophe Neff Christophe Neff (born 10 June 1964 in Tübingen, Germany) is a Franco-German geographer, working on Mediterranean ecosystems, the geography of the Mediterranean Basin and fire ecology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He is considered a ...

, date = 17 July 2017 , publisher = Blogs le Monde on

LeMonde.fr ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...

, language = fr , access-date = 17 July 2017 , archive-date = 29 July 2017 , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170729203621/http://cneffpaysages.blog.lemonde.fr/2017/07/17/liu-xiaobo-carl-von-ossietzky/ , url-status = dead {{cite web, url=http://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/Press/Press-Releases2/Norwegian-Nobel-Committee-mourns-Liu-Xiaobo-statement-by-Chair-Berit-Reiss-Andersen, title=Norwegian Nobel Committee mourns Liu Xiaobo, statement by Chair Berit Reiss-Andersen, website=The Nobel Peace Prize, access-date=13 July 2017, archive-date=20 July 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720045330/https://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/Press/Press-Releases2/Norwegian-Nobel-Committee-mourns-Liu-Xiaobo-statement-by-Chair-Berit-Reiss-Andersen, url-status=dead {{cite web, url=http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/4454/prmID/172, title=Verdict Against Liu Xiaobo, publisher= International PEN, access-date=11 January 2012, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308173713/http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/4454/prmID/172, archive-date=8 March 2012 {{Cite news , url=https://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20170713/s00004/1499874447378 , script-title=zh:【劉曉波逝世】一門五兄弟父同因肝病去世 , date=13 July 2017 , work=Ming Pao , access-date=17 July 2017 , language=zh-tw , archive-date=14 July 2017 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714053034/https://news.mingpao.com/ins/instantnews/web_tc/article/20170713/s00004/1499874447378 , url-status=live {{Cite book , script-title=zh:我無罪: 劉曉波傳 , author=Yu Jie , publisher=時報文化 , year=2012 , isbn=9789571356280 , oclc=820002390, language=zh {{Cite news, url=http://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/201707150296-1.aspx, script-title=zh:劉曉波好友怒批劉曉光無恥, work= Central News Agency (Taiwan), language=zh, access-date=17 July 2017, archive-date=16 July 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716015558/http://www.cna.com.tw/news/firstnews/201707150296-1.aspx, url-status=live {{Cite web , url=http://www.jlplib.com.cn/szzy/yjyjjzt/xgxxbd/201102/t20110211_14793.htm , script-title=zh:新时代仍需要抗联精神(December 2004 )——杨念杨靖宇将军诞辰100周年特别报道 , access-date=17 July 2017 , publisher=Jilin Provincial Library , archive-url=https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:dYHs3RCoGhYJ:www.jlplib.com.cn/szzy/yjyjjzt/xgxxbd/201102/t20110211_14793.htm+&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us , archive-date=2 June 2017, language=zh {{Cite news , url=http://www.dw.com/zh/%25E5%2588%2598%25E6%2599%2593%25E6%259A%2584%25E5%2591%25BC%25E5%2590%2581%25E4%25B8%25AD%25E5%259B%25BD%25E6%2594%25BF%25E5%25BA%259C%25E9%2587%258A%25E6%2594%25BE%25E5%2585%25B6%25E5%2585%2584%25E5%2588%2598%25E6%2599%2593%25E6%25B3%25A2/a-6229879?&zhongwen=simp , script-title=zh:刘晓暄呼吁中国政府释放其兄刘晓波 , date=15 November 2010 , publisher=Deutsche Welle , access-date=17 July 2017 , language=zh , archive-date=1 March 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301122022/https://www.dw.com/zh/%E5%88%98%E6%99%93%E6%9A%84%E5%91%BC%E5%90%81%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E6%94%BF%E5%BA%9C%E9%87%8A%E6%94%BE%E5%85%B6%E5%85%84%E5%88%98%E6%99%93%E6%B3%A2/a-6229879?&zhongwen=simp , url-status=live {{Cite web , url=http://clnyxy.gdut.edu.cn/info/1111/3085.htm , language=zh-cn , script-title=zh:刘晓暄教授-材料与能源学院 , access-date=17 July 2017 , work=Guangdong University of Technology , archive-date=28 August 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828194041/https://clnyxy.gdut.edu.cn/info/1111/3085.htm , url-status=live {{Cite news , url=http://digitalpaper.stdaily.com/http_www.kjrb.com/kjrb/html/2016-07/25/content_344998.htm , script-title=zh:刘晓暄：高分子光化学的传承与创新 , author=侯晓敏 , date=25 July 2016 , script-work=zh:科技日报 , page=7 , access-date=17 July 2017 , language=zh , archive-date=28 August 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828194220/http://digitalpaper.stdaily.com/http_www.kjrb.com/kjrb/html/2016-07/25/content_344998.htm , url-status=dead {{cite web , url=https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/world/asia/liu-xiaobo-dead.html , title=Liu Xiaobo, Chinese Dissident Who Won Nobel While Jailed, Dies at 61 , work=The New York Times , date=13 July 2017 , access-date=13 July 2017 , archive-date=13 July 2017 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713181903/https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/world/asia/liu-xiaobo-dead.html , url-status=live {{cite web, url=http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2101699/liu-xiaobo-quiet-determined-teller-chinas-inconvenient, title=Liu Xiaobo – the quiet, determined teller of China's inconvenient truths, date=13 July 2017, work=South China Morning Post, access-date=14 July 2017, archive-date=14 July 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170714065554/http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2101699/liu-xiaobo-quiet-determined-teller-chinas-inconvenient, url-status=live {{cite web, url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/five-things/liu-xiaobo/5668/, publisher=pbs.org, title=5 things you need to know about Liu Xiaobo, date=10 December 2010, access-date=4 September 2017, archive-date=4 March 2016, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093342/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/five-things/liu-xiaobo/5668/, url-status=live {{cite web , url=http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2101699/liu-xiaobo-quiet-determined-teller-chinas-inconvenient , title=Liu Xiaobo – the quiet, determined teller of China's inconvenient truths , last1=Huang , first1=Cary , last2=Mai , first2=Jun , date=14 July 2017 , website= South China Morning Post , access-date=20 December 2017 , archive-date=22 December 2017 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222161925/http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2101699/liu-xiaobo-quiet-determined-teller-chinas-inconvenient , url-status=live {{cite magazine , author=Liu Xiaobo , url=http://www.open.com.hk/old_version/1011p68.html , language=zh-Hant , script-title=zh:文壇「黑馬」劉曉波 , trans-title=Liu Xiaobo, the "Dark Horse" of Literature , magazine=Open Magazine , date=27 November 1988 , access-date=30 January 2015 , archive-date=17 July 2017 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170717055134/http://www.open.com.hk/old_version/1011p68.html , url-status=live {{cite journal, author=貝嶺, url=http://mag.udn.com/mag/world/storypage.jsp?f_MAIN_ID=409&f_SUB_ID=4595&f_ART_ID=255134, script-title=zh:別無選擇—記1989年前後的劉曉波, journal=United Daily News, location=Taiwan, language=zh, date=17 June 2010, access-date=18 December 2010, archive-date=11 October 2010, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011233021/http://mag.udn.com/mag/world/storypage.jsp?f_MAIN_ID=409&f_SUB_ID=4595&f_ART_ID=255134, url-status=live {{cite book , last1=Xiaobing , first1=Li , date=2016 , title=

Modern China The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), during the reign of king Wu Ding. Ancient historical texts such as the ''Book of Documents'' (early chapter ...

, publisher= ABC-CLIO , isbn=978-1-61069-625-8 , pages=106 {{cite web, last1=Yu , first1=Shicun (余世存) , url=http://www.chinesepen.org/Article/hyxz/200806/Article_20080603033147.shtml , language=zh-Hans , script-title=zh:北京当代汉语研究所2008年公告, publisher=Chinese Pen, date=2 June 2008, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718134903/http://www.chinesepen.org/Article/hyxz/200806/Article_20080603033147.shtml, archive-date=18 July 2011 {{cite web, last1=Kristof, first1=Nicholas, title=Liu Xiaobo, We Miss You, url=https://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/liu-xiaobo-we-miss-you/, website=The New York Times, date=13 July 2017, access-date=13 July 2017, archive-date=13 July 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713181811/https://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/liu-xiaobo-we-miss-you/, url-status=live {{cite web, last1=Branigan, first1=Tania, title=Liu Xiaobo obituary, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/13/liu-xiaobo-obituary, website=The Guardian, date=13 July 2017, access-date=13 July 2017, archive-date=15 July 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715040758/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/13/liu-xiaobo-obituary, url-status=live {{cite web, url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-nobel-liu-idUSTRE6B712Q20101209, title=Factbox: Who is Liu Xiaobo?, date=9 December 2010, work=

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...

, access-date=4 September 2017, archive-date=20 August 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820155822/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-nobel-liu-idUSTRE6B712Q20101209, url-status=live {{cite web, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/26/jailed-chinese-nobel-peace-laureate-liu-xiaobo-released-diagnosis/ , archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/26/jailed-chinese-nobel-peace-laureate-liu-xiaobo-released-diagnosis/ , archive-date=12 January 2022 , url-access=subscription , url-status=live, title=Jailed Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo released after diagnosis of terminal cancer, work=The Daily Telegraph, date=26 June 2017{{cbignore {{cite magazine , author=Liu Xiaobo , url=http://www.open.com.hk/old_version/0701p26.html , language=zh-Hant , script-title=zh:我與《開放》結緣十九年 , trans-title=My 19 Years of Ties with "Open Magazine" , magazine=Open Magazine , date=19 December 2006 , access-date=30 January 2015 , archive-date=23 July 2014 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723161447/http://open.com.hk/old_version/0701p26.html , url-status=live Leys, Simon (9 February 2012)
"He Told the Truth About China’s Tyranny"
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501134804/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/feb/09/liu-xiaobo-he-told-truth-about-chinas-tyranny/?pagination=false , date=1 May 2012 . ''

''. {{cite book, title=Letter from Liu Xiaobo to Liao Yiwu, url=http://www.hrichina.org/en/content/3215, publisher=Human Rights in China, access-date=13 July 2017, archive-date=20 October 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020031819/http://www.hrichina.org/en/content/3215, url-status=live {{cite book, title=Cosmopolitanism and the Legacies of Dissent, first1=Tamara, last1=Caraus, first2=Camil Alexandru, last2=Parvu, pages=69–70 {{cite book, page=75, title=No Enemies, No Hatred, last=Liu, first=Xiabo, publisher=Harvard University Press, year=2012 {{cite book, page=83, title=No Enemies, No Hatred, last=Liu, first=Xiabo, publisher=Harvard University Press, year=2012 McKey, Robert (8 October 2010)
Jailed Chinese Dissident's 'Final Statement'
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021081558/http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/08/jailed-chinese-dissidents-final-statement/ , date=21 October 2010 , ''The New York Times''. {{cite news, last1=Buckley, first1=Chris, title=Liu Xiaobo, Chinese Dissident Who Won Nobel While Jailed, Dies at 61, url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/world/asia/liu-xiaobo-dead.html, website=The New York Times, date=13 July 2017, access-date=13 July 2017, archive-date=27 August 2020, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827125517/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/world/asia/liu-xiaobo-dead.html, url-status=live {{cite web, last1=Johnson, first1=Ian, title=China's 'Fault Lines': Yu Jie on His New Biography of Liu Xiaobo, url=http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2012/07/14/china-fault-lines-yu-jie-liu-xiaobo/, website=

, access-date=13 July 2017, archive-date=28 August 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828143438/http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2012/07/14/china-fault-lines-yu-jie-liu-xiaobo/, url-status=live {{cite web, last1=Sautman, first1=Barry, last2=Yan, first2=Hairong, title=Do supporters of Nobel winner Liu Xiaobo really know what he stands for?, url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/dec/15/nobel-winner-liu-xiaobo-chinese-dissident, website=The Guardian, date=15 December 2010, access-date=13 July 2017, archive-date=1 July 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701194728/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/dec/15/nobel-winner-liu-xiaobo-chinese-dissident, url-status=live {{cite web , last1=Liu , first1=Xiaobo , trans-title=The Iraq War and the 2004 U.S. Election , language=zh-cn , script-title=zh:伊战与美国大选 , url=https://blog.boxun.com/hero/liuxb/217_1.shtml , website= Boxun , access-date=13 July 2017 , archive-date=13 July 2017 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713014256/http://blog.boxun.com/hero/liuxb/217_1.shtml , url-status=live {{cite web , author=Liu Xiaobo , url=http://blog.boxun.com/hero/liuxb/133_1.shtml , language=zh-cn , script-title=zh:刘晓波：美英自由联盟必胜 , trans-title=Liu Xiaobo: Victory to the Anglo-American Freedom Alliance , publisher= Boxun , date=11 April 2004 , access-date=15 July 2017 , archive-date=13 July 2017 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713022916/http://blog.boxun.com/hero/liuxb/133_1.shtml , url-status=live {{cite web, last1=Xiaobo, first1=Liu, title=The Prison Abuse Scandal and Iraq's Status, url=https://blog.boxun.com/hero/liuxb/152_1.shtml, website= Boxun, access-date=13 July 2017, archive-date=13 July 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713022930/http://blog.boxun.com/hero/liuxb/152_1.shtml, url-status=live Sautman, Barry; Yan, Hairong (15 December 2010)
"Do supporters of Nobel winner Liu Xiaobo really know what he stands for?"
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210701194728/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/dec/15/nobel-winner-liu-xiaobo-chinese-dissident , date=1 July 2021 . ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 3 November 2011. Geremie R. Barmé, "Confession, Redemption and Death: Liu Xiaobo and the Protest Movement of 1989", in George Hicks (ed.), ''The Broken Mirror: China After Tiananmen'', London: Longmans, 1990, pp. 52–99 K. Mok, ''Intellectuals and the State in Post-Mao China'', p. 167, 1998 Jean-Philippe Béja, Fu Hualing, Eva Pils, ''Liu Xiaobo, Charter 08 and the Challenges of Political Reform in China'', p. 25 (2012) {{cite web, url=http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/new/20170713/1160597/, script-title=zh:《零八憲章》惹怒中共劉曉波遭重判11年, date=13 July 2017, work=

Apple Daily (Taiwan) The ''Apple Daily'' ( zh, t=蘋果日報, p=Píngguǒ Rìbào, poj=Pîn-kó Ji̍t-pò) was an online newspaper in Taiwan. It was established as a printed paper and was owned by Hong Kong-based Next Digital media group, which printed the epo ...

, language=zh, access-date=17 July 2017, archive-date=12 October 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012000911/https://www.appledaily.com.tw/international/20170713/35E2BANE5K5OI6CD5K43DMJWXY/, url-status=live Wang Ming,
A Citizen's Declaration on Freedom of Speech
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012000921/https://archive.ph/20120904001627/http://www.hrichina.org/public/contents/1881 , date=12 October 2022 ," ''China Rights Forum'' (spring 1997). {{cite web, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/feb/28/liu-xia-china-dissident-xiaobo, title=My dear husband Liu Xiaobo, the writer China has put behind bars, first=Tania, last=Branigan, date=27 February 2010, work=The Guardian, access-date=12 December 2016, archive-date=7 November 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107031205/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/feb/28/liu-xia-china-dissident-xiaobo, url-status=live {{cite web, url=http://www.dw.de/wife-of-nobel-peace-prize-winner-talks-about-daily-struggle/a-6093674-1, title=Wife of Nobel Peace Prize winner talks about daily struggle, date=8 October 2010, publisher= Deutsche Welle, access-date=19 November 2013, archive-date=8 January 2014, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108140813/http://www.dw.de/wife-of-nobel-peace-prize-winner-talks-about-daily-struggle/a-6093674-1, url-status=live {{cite news , language=zh-hk , script-title=zh:警車守門外多年被軟禁 , date=9 October 2010 , work=

Apple Daily ''Apple Daily'' ( zh, link=no, 蘋果日報) was a popular tabloid published in Hong Kong from 1995 to 2021. Founded by Jimmy Lai, it was one of the best-selling Chinese language newspapers in Hong Kong.

, location=Hong Kong {{cite web, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/dec/25/china-jails-liu-xiaobo, title=Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo sentenced to 11 years in jail, first=Jonathan, last=Watts, date=25 December 2009, work=The Guardian, access-date=15 December 2017, archive-date=12 October 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012000859/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/dec/25/china-jails-liu-xiaobo, url-status=live {{cite web , url=http://www.chinesepen.org/Article/hyxz/200801/Article_20080118070643.shtml , language=zh-cn , script-title=zh:赵紫阳亡灵:不准悼念和禁忌松动 , trans-title=Revenant of Zhao Ziyang , author=Liu Xiaobo , publisher=Independent Chinese Pen Center , access-date=10 October 2010 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013024616/http://www.chinesepen.org/Article/hyxz/200801/Article_20080118070643.shtml , archive-date=13 October 2010 , url-status=dead Baculinao, Eric and Gu, Bo (8 October 201
In China, citizens find ways to learn of Nobel prize
{{dead link, date=May 2017 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes , NBC News. {{cite news , url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22210 , title=Charter 08 Translated from the Chinese by Perry Link The following text of ''Charter 08'', signed by hundreds of Chinese intellectuals and translated and introduced by Perry Link, Professor of Chinese Literature at the University of California, Riverside , last=Link , first=Perry , work=The New York Review of Books , access-date=10 December 2008 , archive-date=11 December 2008 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211155554/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22210 , url-status=live Reporters Without Borders,
Fondation de France Prize: Liu Xiaobo Receives Prize for Defence of Press Freedom
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319004654/http://en.rsf.org/china-reporters-without-borders-21-12-2004,12138.html , date=19 March 2012 ," 21 December 2004. {{cite news , url=http://inews.mingpao.com/htm/INews/20101008/ca51802a.htm , language=zh-hk , script-title=zh:和平獎得主劉曉波小傳 , work=

Ming Pao ''Ming Pao'' () is a Chinese-language newspaper published by Media Chinese International in Hong Kong. In the 1990s, ''Ming Pao'' established four overseas branches in North America; each provides independent reporting on local news and colle ...

, date=8 October 2010 , location=Hong Kong , access-date=8 October 2010 , archive-date=11 October 2010 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011095545/http://inews.mingpao.com/htm/INews/20101008/ca51802a.htm , url-status=live {{cite news, last=Ramzy, first=Austin , title=Chinese Dissident Liu Xiaobo Wins Nobel Peace Prize , url = http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2024405,00.html , archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101009195837/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2024405,00.html , url-status = dead , archive-date = 9 October 2010 , access-date=9 October 2010, newspaper=Time , date = 8 October 2010 {{cite news, url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22210, title=Charter 08 Translated from Chinese by Perry Link The following text of Charter 08, signed by hundreds of Chinese intellectuals and translated and introduced by Perry Link, Professor of Chinese Literature at the University of California, Riverside, last=Link, first=Perry, work=The New York Review of Books, access-date=10 December 2008, archive-date=11 December 2008, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211155554/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/22210, url-status=live {{cite web , url=http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2009/05/200905042259.shtml , language=zh-Hans , script-title=zh:零八宪章签署者已过8600名，第十四批签名人正式名单 , trans-title=Signatures to Charter 08 exceeds 8600, 14th list of signers attached , publisher= Boxun , date=4 May 2009 , access-date=27 June 2009 , archive-date=19 May 2009 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519052751/http://www.peacehall.com/news/gb/china/2009/05/200905042259.shtml , url-status=live {{cite news , url=http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/12/200812090855.shtml , language=zh-cn , script-title=zh:著名学者张祖桦、刘晓波'失踪' , work= Boxun , date=9 December 2008 , access-date=9 December 2008 , archive-date=15 December 2008 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215155010/http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/12/200812090855.shtml , url-status=live {{cite news, url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6948012.ece, title=Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo begins second year of detention without charge, last=Macartney, first=Jane, date=8 December 2009, work=

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

, location=London, access-date=9 December 2009, archive-date=14 August 2011, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814061156/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6948012.ece, url-status=live Writers Call for China Dissident's Release
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012000859/https://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE50K0XG20090121 , date=12 October 2022 ," Reuters, 9 December 2008. {{cite web , url=http://vip.chinalawinfo.com/NewLaw2002/SLC/SLC.asp?Db=chl&Gid=17010 , archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715174510/http://vip.chinalawinfo.com/NewLaw2002/SLC/SLC.asp?Db=chl&Gid=17010 , url-status=dead , archive-date=15 July 2012 , language=zh-cn , script-title=zh:中华人民共和国刑法 , trans-title=Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China , access-date=24 June 2009 Human Rights Watch,
China: Liu Xiaobo's Trial a Travesty of Justice
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610221221/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/12/21/china-liu-xiaobo-s-trial-travesty-justice , date=10 June 2015 ," 21 December 2009. Michael Anti,
Liu Xiaobo's brother-in-law says the trial ends without result. Waiting for lawyer coming out
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403112931/https://twitter.com/mranti/statuses/6953649249 , date=3 April 2016 ," 23 December 2009. Chinese angered by 'interference' in dissident trial
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101002014020/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8429625.stm , date=2 October 2010

...

. Cara Anna,
Diplomats Kept Away from China Dissident's Trial
" The Associated Press, 23 December 2009. {{webarchive , url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091228011028/https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jhUm7us8viZgI3LPIS4ekels25DAD9CON8F00 , date=28 December 2009
{{webarchive , url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212205544/http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2010/xiaobo-lecture_en.html , date=12 December 2010 Pomfret, John (8 October 2010)

''The Washington Post''; pub:AARP. {{webarchive , url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110211204520/http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/newsmakers/news-10-2010/china_s_liu_xiaobo_wins_nobel_peace_prize.html , date=11 February 2011 Liu Xiaobo (9 February 2010) Guilty of 'crime of speaking', ''South China Morning Post''. {{cite web, url=http://www.chinese-embassy.no/chn/zjsg/sgxw/t764232.htm, script-title=zh:所谓"因言获罪"是对刘晓波案判决的误读——刑法学专家谈刘晓波案与言论自由, date=26 October 2010, publisher=Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Kingdom of Norway, language=zh, access-date=15 July 2017, archive-date=24 February 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224123435/http://www.chinese-embassy.no/chn/zjsg/sgxw/t764232.htm, url-status=live {{cite web, url=http://www.gov.cn/xwfb/2010-12/02/content_1758486.htm, language=zh-cn, script-title=zh:外交部就美日军演、六方会谈团长紧急磋商等答问, publisher=Government of the People's Republic of China, access-date=15 July 2017, archive-date=25 February 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225054913/http://www.gov.cn/xwfb/2010-12/02/content_1758486.htm, url-status=live {{cite news , url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/dec/113124.htm , title=Harassment of Chinese Signatories to Charter 08 Press Statement Sean McCormack (spokesman) , last=Sean McCormack , first=Sean McCormack , date=11 December 2008 , publisher=U.S. Department of State , access-date=10 December 2008 , archive-date=5 February 2009 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205040912/http://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/dec/113124.htm , url-status=live Letter from the Consortium for the Release of Liu Xiaobo to China's President Hu Jintao
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405003444/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/12/22/letter-consortium-release-liu-xiaobo-chinas-president-hu-jintao , date=5 April 2015 ,"

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

. 22 December 2008. {{cite news, url=http://aktualne.centrum.cz/czechnews/clanek.phtml?id=631742, title=One World Homo Homini award goes to Chinese dissident, date=12 March 2009, publisher=Aktualne.cz, access-date=3 December 2009, archive-date=15 March 2009, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315045003/http://aktualne.centrum.cz/czechnews/clanek.phtml?id=631742, url-status=live {{cite web, url=http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2103329/worldwide-memorials-held-including-hong-kong-remember, title=Worldwide memorials held to remember Liu Xiaobo, work= South China Morning Post, date=19 July 2017, access-date=20 July 2017, archive-date=20 July 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720140101/http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2103329/worldwide-memorials-held-including-hong-kong-remember, url-status=live {{Citation , url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BD4T220091214 , title=U.S., EU urge China to release prominent dissident , work=

, date=14 December 2009 , first=Marcin , last=Grajewski , access-date=1 July 2017 , archive-date=16 February 2011 , archive-url=http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20110216203538/http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BD4T220091214 , url-status=live {{cite news , url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8430409.stm , title=Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo jailed for subversion , date=25 December 2009 , publisher=

BBC World News BBC World News is an international English-language pay television network, operated under the ''BBC Global News Limited'' division of the BBC, which is a public corporation of the UK government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and ...

, access-date=25 December 2009 , archive-date=9 November 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109005824/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8430409.stm , url-status=live {{cite news, url=http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xwfw/s2510/t648102.htm, title=Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Yu's Regular Press Conference on 24 December 2009, date=25 December 2009, publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China, access-date=26 December 2009, archive-date=5 March 2010, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305011805/http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xwfw/s2510/t648102.htm, url-status=live {{cite news, url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33348&Cr=China&Cr1=, title=Imprisonment of Chinese dissident deeply concerns UN human rights chief, date=25 December 2009, publisher=United Nations News Service {{Citation , url=http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,5055977,00.html , title=Rights groups, West blast China over sentence for leading dissident , date=25 December 2009 , publisher= Deutsche Welle , editor-first=Andreas , editor-last=Illmer , access-date=18 January 2013 , archive-date=12 October 2022 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012000902/https://www.dw.com/en/rights-groups-west-blast-china-over-sentence-for-leading-dissident/a-5055977 , url-status=live {{cite news, url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iCqREmgQ_6P4REsdQY-srHP_PrJA, title=Canada 'deplores' sentencing of Chinese dissident, date=26 December 2009, agency= Agence France-Presse, access-date=11 November 2016, archive-date=31 January 2013, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131052529/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iCqREmgQ_6P4REsdQY-srHP_PrJA, url-status=live {{cite web, url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/index/Switzerland_joins_protests_against_China.html?cid=7973728, title=Switzerland joins protests against China, date=26 December 2009, website=

Swissinfo SWI swissinfo.ch is a multilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the wor ...

, access-date=26 December 2009, archive-date=18 January 2012, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118190814/http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/index/Switzerland_joins_protests_against_China.html?cid=7973728, url-status=live {{cite news, url=http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1141993&lang=eng_news&cate_img=logo_taiwan&cate_rss=TAIWAN_eng, title=Ma asks Beijing to tolerate dissidents, agency= Central News Agency, date=27 December 2009, work=

Taiwan News ''Taiwan News'' (formerly ''China News'') is an English-language online newspaper in Taiwan. It is owned by foods company I-Mei Foods, which also publishes the Chinese-language news weekly of the same name. History ''China News'' was founded ...

, access-date=26 December 2009, archive-date=3 March 2016, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174504/http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1141993&lang=eng_news&cate_img=logo_taiwan&cate_rss=TAIWAN_eng, url-status=dead {{cite news , url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c590cdd0-016a-11df-8c54-00144feabdc0.html , title=The Chinese dissident's 'unknown visitors' , author=Anderlini, Jamil , work=

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

, date=15 January 2010 , access-date=1 February 2010 , archive-date=10 September 2010 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910075747/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c590cdd0-016a-11df-8c54-00144feabdc0.html , url-status=live {{cite news, url=http://www.eu-china.net/web/cms/upload/pdf/nachrichten/2010_01_22_OpenLetter_eng.pdf, title=OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, date=22 January 2010, publisher=

, access-date=8 February 2010, archive-date=21 July 2011, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721171927/http://www.eu-china.net/web/cms/upload/pdf/nachrichten/2010_01_22_OpenLetter_eng.pdf, url-status=live {{cite news, url=http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/havel38/English, title=A Chinese Champion of Peace and Freedom, date=18 January 2010, publisher= Project Syndicate, access-date=8 February 2010, archive-date=12 October 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012000903/https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/a-chinese-champion-of-peace-and-freedom, url-status=live {{cite news, url=http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=26569&article=China+opposes+Nobel+for+jailed+dissident%2C+lawmakers+back+Liu+Xiabo, title=China opposes Nobel for jailed dissident, lawmakers back Liu Xiabo, date=6 February 2010, publisher=

Phayul.com Phayul.com (''Fatherland'' in Tibetan) is a leading English language news portal. website that publishes news and opinion about Tibet and Tibet-in-exile. Created in 2001 by Tibetan exiles in India, it is published in the English language ...

, access-date=8 February 2010, archive-date=5 August 2017, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805015008/http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=26569&article=China+opposes+Nobel+for+jailed+dissident%2C+lawmakers+back+Liu+Xiabo, url-status=dead "Petition Urges Nobel for Jailed Chinese Writer"
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012000900/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/world/asia/26prize.html , date=12 October 2022 article by Andrew Jacobs in ''

'' 25 September 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2010. "A Nobel Prize for a Chinese Dissident"
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012000905/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/21/opinion/21iht-edhavel.html , date=12 October 2022 . ''The New York Times''. 20 September 2010. {{cite web, url=http://www.freedom-now.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Liu-Gao-Letter-from-30-Members-of-Congress.pdf , title=Archived copy , publisher= Freedom Now , access-date=7 October 2010 , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615130327/http://www.freedom-now.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Liu-Gao-Letter-from-30-Members-of-Congress.pdf , archive-date=15 June 2011 "Taiwan's Ma congratulates Nobel laureate Liu"
Associated Press. 9 October 2010. {{dead link, date=June 2016, bot=medic{{cbignore, bot=medic {{Cite web, url=http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2010/10-15/2591103.shtml, language=zh-cn, script-title=zh:网友曝料：刘晓波在中国坐牢，领美国的工资(图), publisher=chinanews.com, access-date=14 July 2017, archive-date=12 October 2022, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012000911/https://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/2010/10-15/2591103.shtml, url-status=live {{Cite news, url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/28/national-endowment-for-democracy-banned-russia, title=National Endowment for Democracy is first 'undesirable' NGO banned in Russia, last=Luhn, first=Alec, date=28 July 2015, work=The Guardian, access-date=14 July 2017, issn=0261-3077, archive-date=4 February 2021, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204101024/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/28/national-endowment-for-democracy-banned-russia, url-status=live {{cite web, url=http://www.literaturfestival.com/news/aufruf-zu-einer-weltweiten-lesung-fuer-die-freilassung-von-liu-xiaobo-am-20.-maerz-2012-en, title=The ilb appealed for a worldwide reading on March 20th 2012 for Liu Xiaobo, publisher=

Berlin International Literature Festival The Berlin International Literature Festival (german: internationales literaturfestival berlin) or ''ilb'' is an annual event based in Berlin. Every September, the festival presents contemporary poetry, prose, nonfiction, graphic novels and inte ...

, access-date=1 March 2012, archive-date=25 January 2012, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125135644/http://www.literaturfestival.com/news/aufruf-zu-einer-weltweiten-lesung-fuer-die-freilassung-von-liu-xiaobo-am-20.-maerz-2012-en, url-status=dead {{cite news , url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-dissident-idUSBRE9AI0JD20131119?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=71&google_editors_picks=true , work=

, title=Wife of jailed Chinese Nobel Laureate appeals for his retrial , date=19 November 2013 , access-date=10 July 2021 , archive-date=8 March 2022 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308050503/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-dissident-idUSBRE9AI0JD20131119?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=71&google_editors_picks=true , url-status=live {{cite web , url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2010/ , title=The Nobel Peace Prize 2010 , publisher=Nobelprize.org , access-date=8 October 2010 , archive-date=8 October 2010 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008043234/http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2010/ , url-status=live {{cite news, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11499098, title=Nobel Peace Prize awarded to China dissident Liu Xiaobo, date=8 October 2010, work=

...