About 400 protesters marched through central Hong Kong on Sunday calling for the release of jailed Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, less than a week before the award ceremony in Oslo. Activists chanted and waved placards demanding Liu's release and democratic reform in China as they slowly made their way through the territory's financial district.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, guarantees civil liberties not seen on the Chinese mainland including allowing protests. "He didn't do anything wrong, I don't know why he is still in jail," protester Ng Yin-keung told AFP.
Liu, a writer, was jailed in December 2009 for 11 years on subversion charges after co-authoring "Charter 08", a manifesto that spread quickly on the Internet calling for political reform and greater rights in China.
Beijing has accused Norway of undermining relations and encouraging a "criminal", and pressured countries to boycott the December 10 award ceremony. The writer's case has become an international cause celebre with former Polish president Lech Walesa, also a Nobel Peace Prize winner, offering last month to accept the award on Liu's behalf.
Comments
Comments are closed.