Jailed Chinese dissident and human rights activists Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace prize on Friday, the Nobel committee announced, treading a geopolitical minefield.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2010 was awarded to Liu Xiaobo “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”
Among the many people campaigning for human rights in China, Liu Xiaobo has become the most visible symbol of the struggle. A long-term exponent of non-violent protest, he is currently serving an 11-year prison term.
Xiaobo, 54, was sentenced in China last Christmas Day for drafting Charter 08, which called for multiparty democracy and respect for human rights in China, and got a jail term.