By M.E. Dodge
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
BEIJING, China – Chinese prosecutors have indicted high-profile dissident, Liu Xiaobo, and are likely to bring his case to court within the next month, according to his lawyers. Liu has been detained for over one year in a Chinese prison for what Liu Xiaobo’s lawyer, Shang Baojun, stated were police allegations claiming that the Liu incited the subversion of state power through articles he published on the internet and by helping to write Charter 08, an appeal for democratic reforms and greater civil liberties.
Photograph of Liu Xiabo whose image appears in front of the
Chinese national emblem. Image curtesy of Associated Press.
If the procuratorate conclude that the public security agency has clearly established a case backed by evidence, then it can decide to initiate a prosecution in court,” said Mo Shaoping, another of Liu’s lawyers. Mo went on to say that in the course of the next month, prosecutors also have the option to order additional investigations or to throw out the case entirely. However, Phelim Kine, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said that given the amount of national attention and international publicity (Liu’s case has drawn protests from western politicians and international authors) states that “The sad fact is by the time it does get to this point, it takes on a momentum of its own and [probably] will unfortunately head to court.”
There is additional concern that the prosecution will prey on Liu’s past. Liu is a literary critic and former academic and spent 20 months in jail after joining the Tiananmen Square pro-reform protests in 1989. He was also sent to a re-education through labor camp in the 1990s. Liu’s present charges regarding his internet and other postings are percieved as a questioning the Communist party’s monopoly on power.
In response to Liu’s indictment, a group of 201 Charter 08 signatories, issued a public letter entitled, “We Are Willing to Share Responsibility with Liu Xiaobo.” The letter reiterated their support for the ideas behind the document as well as for the author and literary critic. Once the letter was posted on the internet, approximately 10,000 people showed their support, although Chinese governmental censors quickly eliminated references to it from Chinese-based sites.
Human rights officials have expressed that Liu’s case means the Chinese government is paying attention to the international response to allegations made against Liu and are hoping that the attention and awareness raised will lead to increasing open-door diplomacy. Human rights leaders are also hoping that Liu’s case will light on other authors facing similar charges such as Wole Soyinka and Salman Rushdie, who are among those who have called for Liu’s release, in addition to their diplomatic efforts.
For more information, please see:
Irish Times – Leading Chinese dissident indicted after year in jail without charges – December 11, 2009
The Guardian – Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo faces incitement to subversion charge – December 11, 2009
Washington Post – Lawyer says police want Chinese dissident indicted – December 9, 2009
