The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) called the bestowal of the Nobel Peace Prize on Liu Xiaobo a "resounding slap in the face" for China's rulers. "This is a debacle for China's attempts to win international recognition while suppressing opposition within the country," stated Ulrich Delius of the STP's Asia section on Friday in Göttingen. "Awarding the prize to this dissident is a huge boost to democracy in China and to everyone fighting for human rights in the People's Republic, as well as a milestone in the struggle against censorship. Millions of Chinese will now take an interest in the banned writings of Liu Xiaobo, and in the "Charta 08" demands as well."

As a former chair of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, Liu Xiaobo is representative of the more than 150 writers in China who are persecuted for their criticism of the regime. The STP has documented the persecution of dissident authors in China and called for the release of Liu Xiaobo in a number of human rights reports released over the past years.

For further information, please contact Ulrich Delius.

Translated by Elizabeth Crawford