How dead Liu Xiaobo, tells us much about modern China and the contemporary concerns of Chinese leaders. The Beijing government controls the nuclear Arsenal and use its influence in international Affairs. But despite this, it is feared the democratic ideas that such a high price defended one courageous and conscientious person.
In 2009, Mr. Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison, and even after he was diagnosed with “liver cancer”, Chinese authorities did not allow him to leave the country for treatment. One of the most famous dissidents of China died on Thursday detained in a Chinese hospital on 62-the m to year. He was the only Nobel laureate in the country.
As is often the case in the increasingly repressive regime of China, Mr. Liu was punished not for a crime but for the fact that were talking about the most basic of human endeavors. In 2008, he became the author of “Charter 08”, a Manifesto of constitutional reforms, which stated the need to respect “universal values, shared by all humanity”, including human rights, equality, freedom, democracy and priority of law. The Charter advocated the direct elections, judicial independence and end the reign of the Communist party. Despite the fact that the Manifesto was on the Internet very long, while the censors have not removed it, he gathered 10 thousand signatures.
The government accused Mr. Liu of “inciting Subversion of state building”, but in reality this multi-talented scientist, writer, poet, social activist was a supporter of peaceful political change. During the speeches 1989 for democracy in Tiananmen square, he began a hunger strike and then persuaded students to peacefully leave the area when they were faced by thousands of armed military rifles.
After that, many times, Liu Xiaobo was taken into custody. However, despite the pressure of Beijing to the Norwegian Committee of the Nobel prize to Mr Liu was not awarded the prize, the Committee, showing wisdom, has awarded its 2010 peace Prize in recognition of “his long and nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”.
There are reasons to wonder, did his conclusion timely diagnosis and treatment, which might extend his life. Saturday, July 8 when his condition began to deteriorate, he was allowed two Western doctors, who said that he needed to go abroad for treatment, but China still refused, striving to the end to control of Mr. Liu that he could tell the world.
The authorities also ignored signed by dozens of writers and Nobel laureates petition calling for the release of Mr. Liu. His last days were spent in the hospital under guard, with no communication with the outside world. The authorities filmed as he lies motionless in a hospital bed, and then without his permission, published the footage for propaganda purposes.
Western leaders probably intimidated by the obvious dislike of the President XI Jinping to the criticism related to the respect for human rights, showed an invalid submission before the death of Mr. Liu, often limited to a review of his case to the address of officials of a lower rank. The least sympathetic were President trump, who, occupying the presidency, had little interest in the question of human rights, while enthusiastically welcoming the many authoritarian leaders, for example, the same Mr. si.
Mr. trump has not raised the issue of Mr Liu, met last week with President XI in Germany. A few hours after the death of Mr. Liu at a press conference in Paris, the trump on the question of what impressed him the head of China, highly praised him as a “very good person” who “wished China good.” Some U.S. officials, including Nikki Haley (Nikki Haley), the U.S. representative to the UN, spoke about the role of Mr. Liu, but the words trump in Paris was a signal to Beijing can ignore them. Despite the behavior of Mr. trump, other world leaders should join the groups of human rights defenders, insisting on the release of the wife of Mr. Liu, the poet Liu Xia, who is under police surveillance since 2010, and that she was allowed to move to another country at its discretion.
The death of Mr. Liu was a huge blow to his supporters. There are no signs that China could soon begin political reforms, but even in such circumstances there is reason in order to work for a different future. More than 34 thousand people, mostly in China, recently signed an open letter demanding the release of Mr. Liu. Today a lot more Chinese compared to 1989 and 2008 to realize “a small but significant peaceful protest, defending human rights,” wrote in an editorial column of the Times Shaorong Lee, founder of several human rights organizations.
Now the task of the supporters of Mr. Liu to devote his life to his dream of a modern China with the “universal values”. This dream survive the ruthless leaders who tried to break him, but failed to do so.
