China has angrily condemned the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. The government called Mr Liu a "criminal". While the Norwegian Nobel Committee has said Mr. Liu is the foremost symbol of the struggle for human rights in China.
Liu is a human rights activist who called for democratic reforms and the end of one-party communist rule by the Chinese government. He is currently a political prisoner in China. He is serving an eleven year sentence for “spreading a message to subvert the country and authority”. He is being awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for "his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. He is the first Chinese person to be awarded a Nobel Prize of any kind while residing in China.
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| Liu Xiaobo |
This award has created a lot of controversy within the global community. China had called for a global boycott of Friday's event. A total of 18 countries have agreed not to come to the ceremony including Russia, Cuba, Iraq and Iran. This shows the economic muscle that China possess. Many of the countries who have declined to participate are closely tied politically to China. China warned that attending the ceremony would be seen as a sign of disrespect.
"We hope those countries that have received the invitation can tell right from wrong, uphold justice," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.
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| Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia |
On Friday when the event takes place, there will be one chair left empty on the stage for Liu Xiaobo. This award has prompted many global leaders including President Barack Obama to state that China needs to promote human rights.
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