The Meaning of Liu Xiaobo's Outrageous Prison Sentence
The New York Review of Books has posted an important article about the meaning of the 11-year prison sentence handed to perhaps China's most relevant cyberdissident today, Liu Xiaobo.
Imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo
Author Perry Link delves on the many aspects this terrible case of abuse of power entails, but judging by the title of his article, "What Beijing Fears the Most," the severity of the sentence does betray a whiff of fear in Beijing's hallways of power.
Perry brings up how uncomfortable the Charter 08 movement, of which Liu is a prominent signatory, is making the Beijing bosses, with all its demands for transparency, accountability and rule of law.
He also underlines the fact that fellow Charter 08 signatories have expressed unwavering support for Liu, with some of them calling the regime "feeble-minded" and others "manipulative, petty, and selfish," implying that Beijing seems to be getting the heat of discord from so much opposition to its dictates.
Perry also quotes Liu's brilliant written statement, made public by his lawyers after he appealed his sentence:
"Step one toward freedom is often a step into prison." It takes a monumental amount of courage and determination to utter those words, and perhaps they are the ones at the very core of the international movement that has presented Liu as a candidate for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.
Perry also observes that some quarters have called Liu's appeal contradictory because all observers would agree that the decision of handing down such a harsh sentence came from the regime's very top leadership. But he agrees that, "By appealing, Liu does not support the public fraud but further exposes it."
Perry's main point, nevertheless, is that Charter 08 has already become the seed of something much more powerful and menacing for the regime, the combination of the outrage by a growing dissident movement and a general population that would become receptive to such a message.
Imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo
Author Perry Link delves on the many aspects this terrible case of abuse of power entails, but judging by the title of his article, "What Beijing Fears the Most," the severity of the sentence does betray a whiff of fear in Beijing's hallways of power.
Perry brings up how uncomfortable the Charter 08 movement, of which Liu is a prominent signatory, is making the Beijing bosses, with all its demands for transparency, accountability and rule of law.
He also underlines the fact that fellow Charter 08 signatories have expressed unwavering support for Liu, with some of them calling the regime "feeble-minded" and others "manipulative, petty, and selfish," implying that Beijing seems to be getting the heat of discord from so much opposition to its dictates.
Perry also quotes Liu's brilliant written statement, made public by his lawyers after he appealed his sentence:
The sentence violates the Chinese constitution and international human rights covenants. It cannot bear moral scrutiny and will not pass the test of history. I believe that my work has been just, and that someday China will be a free and democratic country. Our people then will bathe in the sunshine of freedom from fear. I am paying a price to move us in that direction, but without the slightest regret. I have long been aware that when an independent intellectual stands up to an autocratic state, step one toward freedom is often a step into prison. Now I am taking that step; and true freedom is that much nearer.
"Step one toward freedom is often a step into prison." It takes a monumental amount of courage and determination to utter those words, and perhaps they are the ones at the very core of the international movement that has presented Liu as a candidate for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize.
Perry also observes that some quarters have called Liu's appeal contradictory because all observers would agree that the decision of handing down such a harsh sentence came from the regime's very top leadership. But he agrees that, "By appealing, Liu does not support the public fraud but further exposes it."
Perry's main point, nevertheless, is that Charter 08 has already become the seed of something much more powerful and menacing for the regime, the combination of the outrage by a growing dissident movement and a general population that would become receptive to such a message.
What Beijing fears most is a marriage between manifestos and the masses; if protesters at this level were someday armed with Charter 08, the men who rule China could face a challenge of truly nightmarish scale."
Truth will set you free. What remains to be seen is at what price.
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