Australia Tibet Council (ATC) joins Chinese democracy advocates and human rights groups to celebrate the Nobel Peace Prize award to imprisoned Chinese intellectual and activist Liu Xiaobo on Human Rights Day.

“This honour for Liu Xiaobo is an honour for all prisoners of conscience, including hundreds of Tibetans, persecuted by China for exercising freedom of speech. By awarding this prize to Liu Xiaobo, the Nobel Committee has illuminated the human rights of the people in China and Tibet and created a sense of hope,” said Paul Bourke, Executive Officer of Australia Tibet Council.

Liu Xiaobo, Chinese writer, professor and human rights defender, has been a long-time supporter of Tibet, openly expressing support for greater freedom for the Tibetan people and championing democratic reform in China. Currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for his part in writing Charter 08, he previously served 3 years in a labour camp for writing a joint letter to Chinese President Jiang Zemin supporting Tibetan self-determination and calling for dialogue with the Dalai Lama. He is believed to be the first Chinese person to be sentenced for speaking up for Tibet.

The voices calling for reform in China are getting louder with more and more Chinese, Tibetan and Uighur advocates risking their lives to promote the freedom they desire. Thousands of prisoners continue to be held behind bars, serving long sentences for voicing their opinions. In an alarming trend reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese government in the last two years has been targeting influential Tibetans including writers, artists and environments, some of whose work have nothing to do with politics.

The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to a Chinese citizen takes place in the backdrop of preparation for the 13th Australia-China Human Rights Dialogue, scheduled for 20 December 2010 in Beijing. ATC has called on the Australian Government to raise some major concerns facing the Tibetan people:

The recent arrests of the influential Tibetans and ongoing cases of political prisoners
Marginalisation of Tibetan language in Tibetan school curriculum
Forced removal of Tibet’s nomads and the resulting social and environmental impacts
Lack of progress in the Tibet-China dialogue and rejection of the Dalai Lama’s autonomy proposal
Ongoing restrictions on the flow of information from Tibet and lack of access to journalists and foreign tourists

For further information and comment:

Paul Bourke 02 9283 3466