Leading free speech activist could get five years in prison

Reporters Without Borders condemns the subversion charge that was brought yesterday against Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波), a leading intellectual and free speech activitist who has been held without trial in an unknown location since 8 December. The authorities have told his lawyer, Mo Shaoping, that because of his human rights activities he can no long represent Liu. “The decision to charge Liu is an insult to all the intellectuals throughout the world who have been calling for his release,” Reporters Without Borders. “His only crime has been to defend human rights. After jailing the blogger Hu Jia, the Chinese government now plans to punish Liu for his commitment to democracy.” The press freedom organisation added: “His indictment is illegal because it comes several weeks after the expiry of the deadline of six months from the time of arrest. We hope it will be quashed by the courts. At the same time, we urge the international community to press for Liu’s unconditional release.” Liu was formally arrested yesterday for “agitation activities aimed at subversion of the government and overthrow of the socialist system,” the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Beijing Public Security Bureau, which said Liu had confessed during interrogation by the police. He faces a possible five-year jail sentence Aged 53, Liu was one of the 300 original signatories of Charter 08, a petition calling for democratic reforms that was circulated last December. He and several other activitists were arrested on 8 December as they were preparing to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The authorities have never revealed where he is being held. Academics, writers, lawyers and human rights activists from all over the world sent a letter to President Hu Jintao on 22 December requesting Liu’s release. A former philosophy professor, Liu spent 20 months in prison for his role in the Tiananmen Square student uprising of May-June 1989. In his writings, nearly all of which have been published only on the Internet, he has called for political reforms and the defence of civil liberties. As a result, he has been under permanent police surveillance for years. Liu was one of the 10 prisoners of conscience whose release was requested in a letter which Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, sent to President Hu on 27 May. Liu was awarded the Reporters Without Borders - Fondation de France prize in 2004 for his tireless defence of press freedom.