Free the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo

Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate for year 2010, was sentenced to 11 years of prison on December 25th 2009 under the name of 'inciting subversion' because of his initiation of 'Charter 08' which calls for democracy and protection of human rights in China.

The sentence is unacceptable and illegitimate, as it's completely against fundamental human rights and China's constitution.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19 states that:"Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

According to Chinese Constitution Article 35, the freedoms of expression and publishing are protected as well:"The citizens of China enjoy freedom of expression, publishing, assembly, association, manifestation and demonstration."

A Chinese citizen from Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, has started a petition asking Chinese authories to free Liu Xiaobo.

Can you imagine a man being sentenced to 11 years of prison just because he wrote an article calling for the protection of human rights and democracy?

That man is Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate for 2010. He has been fighting for a more open, free and democratic China for more 20 years, but now he is imprisoned illegally and illegitimately.