liu xiaobo actively participated in the writing of charter 08. then, along with more than three hundred chinese citizens, he signed "charter 08". this was a manifesto, or statement of beliefs and principles. it was released on the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the universal declaration of human rights (10 december 2008). they wrote it in the style of the czechoslovak charter 77 calling for greater freedom of expression, human rights, and free elections. as of may 2009, the charter has collected over 8,600 signatures from chinese of various walks of life.