The chairman of Nobel Peace Committee, Thorbjørn Jagland reminded that Liu took the initiative to write a manifesto for a new democratic constitution in China, “Charter 08”, where more than 300 Chinese intellectuals called for democratic reforms in China and Jagland said the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize will generate another debate, but in a slightly different way than last year's price.
China's Pressure on the Committee
Previously, it was revealed that China's Deputy Foreign Minister Fu Ying visited Nobel Institute this summer, and warned them such price will damage relations between Norway and China.
Furthermore, Norwegian newspapers had published Chinese experts' warning about that a free trade agreement may be lifted if Xiaobo would be awarded. According to Nettavisen, China expert senior researcher at the Institute for Peace Research (PRIO), Tønnesson Stein predicts a diplomatic scandal may arise due to the prize.
He told to Nettavisen that the government and the Ministry fears that something will happen and it might create huge diplomatic problems for Norway.
– Now, Norway and China are in the final stages of negotiating a free trade agreement, and it is likely that they will give up as a Chinese dissident got peace prize”, said Stein.
Dalai Lama had received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, afterward, the diplomatic relations between Norway and China were almost broken.
Who is Liu Xiaobo?
Liu was long known as an outspoken critic of China's Communist Party and was active in the protests at Tiananmen Square in 1989, which led to his detention for two years and that he lost his job at Beijing University. During the 1990s, he was involved in political activism in the democracy movement, and was occasinally arrested by the police for the activities in the movement.
In December 2008, he signed a political manifesto for greater democracy in China, Charta 08, together with hundreds of intellectuals. Afterward, he was arrested. On 25 December 2009, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
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