On the 60th Anniversary of Chinese Communist Party Rule in China, U.S. Congress passes Resolution calling for immediate release of Liu Xiaobo and representative democracy in China.

Submitted by Lindsey on

Releases Date: 

Mon, 10/05/2009

 

Washington, D.C. October 5, 2009- In a bold resolution this past week, Congress called for the immediate release of noted Chinese scholar and dissident Liu Xiaobo and the improvement of democratic reforms in China. The House Congressional Resolution 151 was agreed to with 410 votes. 
 
The text of the resolution touts Liu’s noted accomplishments and democratic advocacy. Quoting the scholar directly, the resolution stated, “The most fundamental principles of democracy are that the people are sovereign, and that the people select their own government.” Liu has been detained since the release of Charter 08, a “manifesto calling on the Chinese Communist Party to abandon totalitarian government in favor of democracy,” and he was formally arrested on June 24, 2009 after being held without charge since December 2008. To date, over 8,000 Chinese have, at great personal risk, signed the groundbreaking document. Liu’s continued detention is particularly worrying, as 99% of those charged with “endangering State security” are found guilty in China’s Party-controlled courts.
 
Recognizing his role as one of the most influential thinkers in China today, Laogai Research Foundation published a collection of Liu’s essays, Civil Awakening: The Dawn of a New China, in 2005, and more recently has helped to advocate for his release. LRF Executive Director Harry Wu said of the resolution, “Congress showed a profound commitment to democratic ideals today. Their agreement to House Congressional Resolution 151 on this historic anniversary of tyranny in China shows that Congress is willing to support those who fight for freedom in the face of even the darkest power.” 
 
The Laogai Research Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded by former political prisoner Harry Wu in 1992. Its mission is to gather information on and raise public awareness of the Laogai—China’s extensive system of forced labor prison camps.
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