Memorizing Chinese Movement for Democracy

Newspapers in Japan reported the death of a Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Liu Xiaobo, as a consequence of authoritarianism of Chinese regime. Quoting Liu’s affirmation that he had “no enemies,” the papers introduced the writer as a man who devoted himself to liberation of Chinese citizens. They accused Chinese government that rejected liberation of Liu from years of custody.

Judicial authority of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, announced that Liu, who had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, died with multiple organ failure in a hospital in Thursday evening. While Liu and his wife, Liu Xia, demanded medical treatment in Germany, Chinese authority refused releasing them from custody. Chinese government totally dismissed international request to free Liu.

As a lecturer in Beijing Normal University, Liu joined Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, in which Chinese college students required democratization of China. Liu took leadership in hunger strike, which was targeted by Chinese Liberation Army. When military oppression got escalated, Liu led negotiation with Chinese authority, ordering the students retreating from the square. After the protest, Liu was arrested with crime of anti-revolutionary activity and thrown in prison for one year and seven months.

One of the most eminent achievements of his contribution to the movement for human rights in China was participation in the writing of Charter 08, 2008. The Charter required Chinese government abolishment of unilateral rule of Chinese Communist Party or freedom of speech. Chinese authority arrested Liu again with suspect of agitation for overturning national regime. Liu was taken in custody in a prison in Liaoning Province for the penalty of eleven years in prison.

What made the case something special was rigorous attitude of Chinese government, which made the regime isolated in international society. When Norwegian Nobel Prize Committee decided sending Peace Prize to Liu, designating him as the greatest symbol of broad struggle for human rights in China, Chinese government criticized such applause as interference in the domestic affairs. The government insisted on its notion that Liu was a crimial.

Asahi Shimbun held a headline, “Asking What Human Rights All About.” Mainichi labeled Liu as the symbol of democratization movement in China. Nevertheless, Shinzo Abe administration is reluctant to criticize Chinese government. “We will continuously take close watch on the situation of human rights in China,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, avoiding direct criticism on Chinese government. According to diplomatic source between Japan and China, there was some requests for medical treatment for Liu in Japan. Japanese government did not take any positive action to liberate Liu.