Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday. The human rights activist may not yet know of his win, as he is serving an 11-year prison sentence in a north Chinese jail.
His wife, Liu Xia, said that she was sad she couldn’t be with her husband to share in the moment, but that she is visiting him tomorrow, under the surveillance of police. "It's an affirmation of what he has fought for," she said of the win, and that her husband would no doubt be "surprised and humbled" to learn of his win but that the honor of such a prize will also make him feel "a greater sense of responsibilities."
There are concerns that the win may create trouble for Liu, with his lawyer, Shang Baojun, fearing that it may increase his prison sentence. "I hope that he'd be released earlier because of the prize, but in reality, that will not happen," Shang said.
Amnesty International has called on the Chinese government to release all prisoners of conscience, with deputy Asia-Pacific director Catherine Baber saying, "Liu Xiaobo is a worthy winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. We hope it will keep the spotlight on the struggle for fundamental freedoms and concrete protection of human rights that Liu Xiaobo and many other activists in China are dedicated to.”
As news of the win spread, some international news channels were blacked out in China, and Liu’s name along with the term “Nobel Prize” were censored online in China.
