US lawmakers to honor Nobel Peace laureate Washington (AFP) Dec 6, 2010 The US House of Representatives could vote as early as Tuesday on a resolution honoring Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo's push for democratic reforms in China and urging Beijing to free him. The non-binding measure, crafted by Republican Representative Chris Smith, "congratulates" Liu and "honors" his "promotion of democratic reform in China, and the courage with which he has borne repeated imprisonment." The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in October to Liu, who was jailed in December 2009 for 11 years on subversion charges after co-authoring "Charter 08," a manifesto calling for democratic reform in one-party China. The congressional resolution, to be taken up Tuesday, also urges US President Barack Obama to keep working for the release of Liu from prison and the release of his wife Liu Xia from house arrest. It also "calls on the Government of China to cease censoring media and Internet reporting of the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo and to cease its campaign of defamation against Liu Xiaobo." And it asserts that "in honoring Liu Xiaobo, it also honors all those who have promoted democratic reform in China, including all those who participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstration for democratic reform." China has accused Norway, the Nobel committee's home, of undermining relations and encouraging a "criminal." China has also pressured nations not to attend the Nobel ceremony. A House vote on the resolution was expected late Tuesday or on Wednesday.
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S.Korea to send delegate to Nobel prize ceremony Seoul (AFP) Dec 6, 2010 South Korea will attend this week's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, an official indicated Monday, despite Beijing's warnings against supporting the jailed Chinese dissident who won the award. The government "would follow past precedent", foreign ministry spokesman Kim Young-Sun told reporters when asked whether Seoul plans to send a delegate. "The Nobel Peace Prize winner is selected based ... read more |
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