PRAGUE – On Christmas Day last year, one of China’s best-known
human rights activists, the writer and university professor Liu
Xiaobo, was condemned to 11 years in prison. Liu is one of the
main drafters of Charter 08, a petition inspired by
Czechoslovakia’s Charter 77, calling on the Chinese government
to adhere to its own laws and constitution, and demanding the
open election of public officials, freedom of religion and
expression, and the abolition of “subversion” laws. For his
bravery and clarity of thought about China’s future, Liu
deserves the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. There are two reasons why
we believe that Liu would be a worthy recipient of that
prestigious award. First and foremost, he stands in the
tradition of Nobel Peace Prize laureates who have been
recognized for their contribution to the struggle for human
rights. Nobel laureates such as Martin Luther King, Lech Walesa,
and Aung San Suu Kyi are but a few of the many examples that the
Nobel Committee has recognized in previous years. We are conv