Dragon thunders as dissident gets Peace Nobel

Reuters

LONDON: Jailed Chinese pro-democracy activist Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize today for decades of non-violent struggle for human rights, an award that Beijing had anticipated and bitterly criticised.

Governments, activists and human rights campaigners around the world reacted swiftly to the news. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said: “The awarding of the peace prize by the committee to this person completely contradicts its aims and is an obscenity against the peace prize.”

A report from Oslo said China summoned Norway’s ambassador in Beijing to protest the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarding the 2010 peace prize to Chinese dissident Liu, Norway’s foreign ministry said.

“They wanted to officially share their opinion, their disagreement and their protest,” a ministry spokeswoman said.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: “I would like to convey my congratulations to Liu Xiaobo for being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2010. The decision of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee is a strong message of support to all those around the world who, sometimes with great personal sacrifice, are struggling for freedom and human rights.”

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle termed the Nobel committee’s decision ‘courageous’.

Amnesty International said this award can only make a real difference if it prompts more international pressure on China to release Liu, along with the numerous other prisoners of conscience languishing in Chinese jails for exercising their right to freedom of expression.

France’s foreign ministry took the occasion to renew the call for dissident Liu’s release.

In Washington, the wife of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu argued China should take pride in her husband’s selection and release him from prison.

“I hope that the international community will take this opportunity to call on the Chinese government to press for my husband’s release,” she said.

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama congratulated Liu for winning the prize, calling on the government to release him and other jailed activists.

“Awarding the Peace Prize to him is the international community’s recognition of the increasing voices among the Chinese people in pushing China towards political, legal and constitutional reforms,” the Dalai Lama said.

Past laureates and their work at a glance

• 2009 - US President Barack Obama, for efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.

• 2008 - Former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, for working for peace in places from Namibia to Kosovo.

• 2007 - Former US vice-president Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for raising awareness of the risks of climate change. 2006 - Bangladeshi economics professor Muhammad Yunus and Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank, for work to end poverty through”microfinance”.

• 2005 - The International Atomic Energy Agency and its head Mohamed ElBaradei, for fighting the spread of nuclear weapons.

• 2004 - Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, for her movement promoting the planting of tens of millions of trees.

• 2003 - Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi, for her work in defending human rights and promoting democracy in Iran.

• 2002 - Former US president Jimmy Carter, for years of work helping to solve conflicts in places ranging from the Middle East to North Korea, Haiti and Eritrea.

• 2001 - The United Nations and Secretary-General Kofi Annan,for working for a more peaceful world by tackling challenges ranging from poverty to terrorism.