What is Charter 08?
'''Charter 08''' is a manifesto (a public declaration of your beliefs) initially signed by over 350 Chinese [[intellectual]]s and [[human rights]] activists to promote political reform and [[Democracy|democratization]] in the [[People's Republic of China]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.boxun.com/news/gb/china/2008/12/200812171239.shtml|title=Over 5000 people have signed the Charter 08 (《零八宪章》签名已超过5000人)|date=17 December 2008|publisher=Boxun|access-date=2008-12-15}}</ref> It was [[Publish|published]] on 10 December 2008, the 60th anniversary of the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]], using a similar name and style from the anti-Soviet Charter 77 issued by [[dissident]]s in [[Czechoslovakia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/3690568/Chinese-dissidents-emulate-anti-Soviet-heroes-with-Charter-08.html|title=Chinese dissidents emulate anti-Soviet heroes with Charter 08 |last= Spencer|first=Richard |date=9 December 2008|publisher=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=2008-12-10}}</ref> Since its release, more than 8,100 people inside and outside of China have signed the charter.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/29/AR2009012903758.html Why China's leadership should talk to the Charter 08 movement], ''Washington Post'', January 30, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0131/1232923379427.html Small green shoots of rebellion among ordinary Chinese], ''Irish Times'', January 31, 2009.</ref> One of the authors of Charter '08, [[Liu Xiaobo]], was awarded the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in 2010. He died of [[liver cancer]] in July 2017 while under medical leave during his prison sentence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-40597514|title=Liu Xiaobo: Prominent China dissident dies|publisher=BBC|date=13 July 2017}}</ref> ==References== <references/> {{Asia-stub}} [[Category:Human rights]] [[Category:Politics of the People's Republic of China]]