Well, just when you thought that the human rights situation in China couldn't get any worse, it did. Following the news last month that prominent Chinese dissident Liu Xiabo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, two Chinese women have found their human rights dramatically curtailed.
The first is Liu's wife, Liu Xia, who was placed under house arrest immediately following the announcement of her husband's prestigious honor. While she was able to visit Liu (who is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for "inciting state subversion") to bring him the news, since then, her freedom of movement has been sharply curtailed.
On Sunday, the Times of London reported that her telephone and Internet connections have been blocked and she has not been allowed outside the flat for almost a month. If she needs to buy anything, she compiles a shopping list. She even has to write down what she wants for her evening meal; police then bring the food from a local restaurant. She is no longer allowed fresh air or exercise.
To add insult to injury, Chinese authorities will not allow Liu Xia to travel to Oslo to accept the prize on her husband's behalf. Family members have often stepped in to accept prizes on behalf of jailed winners of the internationally renowned prize -- Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa's wife did so in 1983, and the son of the Burmese opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi delivered the acceptance speech for his mother in 1991.
Read more at Politics Daily
2010-11-23
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