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The WUC Congratulates Liu Xiaobo for the Nobel Peace Prize 2010

For immediate release
08 October 2010
Contact:  World Uyghur Congress (www.uyghurcongress.org)
0049 (0) 89 5432 1999 (Munich, Germany)

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) congratulates imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo for receiving the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.  WUC commends the Nobel Peace Prize Committee for making the decision to award the prize to a truly deserving Liu Xiaobo despite the pressure exerted by the Chinese government in recent weeks on the committee and the Norwegian government not to do so.

“Awarding Liu Xiaobo with the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent activism is a wonderful step toward furthering in China,” said WUC´s president, Ms. Rebiya Kadeer. “This award not only recognizes his specific work on democracy and human rights in China, but also empowers all China-related human right movements and dissidents, including the Uyghur and Tibetan human rights movements and activists.  It also gives hope to other prisoners of conscience in China who suffer long prison terms due to their standing up for freedom of speech and human rights”.

The Nobel Peace Prize honors Liu for his decades-long dedication to promoting democracy, human rights and freedom of expression in China. The Nobel Peace Prize Committee said that it has long believed that there is a close connection between human rights and peace.

Liu Xiaobo has been repeatedly detained by the Chinese authorities for his nonviolent human rights activities.  He is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for “inciting subversion of state power,” primarily for his support of Charter 08, a citizens’ manifesto calling for deep democratic reform that was published in December 2008 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Liu Xiaobo was an active participant in the student protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989 and since that time, his articles and publications have been banned in China.  Despite being aware of the risks he faced due to his work, Liu Xiaobo continued campaigning for more political and civil freedom in China.

“Liu Xiaobo’s activism is outstanding,” said former prisoner of conscience and multiple-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Rebiya Kadeer.

“The Nobel Peace Prize for Liu Xiaobo is a clear sign to the Chinese government to start real reforms and democratic changes in the country and to listen and respect the opinions of dissidents and opposition movements. If China wants to be taken seriously in the international community, it has to stop harassing and detaining people for their beliefs or opinions. Chinese dissidents, Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Falun Gong practitioners have the right to a peaceful life. The award for Mr. Xiaobo is a clear sign of hope to other imprisoned writers, journalists, and human right activists such as Uyghur writer Nurmuhemmet Yasin who is currently serving a 10-year prison term for writing a short story that the Chinese authorities arbitrarily accused of “incit[ing] splittism” in East Turkestan.”

The WUC also wants to thank those individuals who nominated Liu Xiaobo for the Nobel Peace Prize, such as Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama, President Vaclav Havel, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.