China proves Nobel jury right

A DISSIDENT’S PEACE PRIZE | GLOBE EDITORIAL
China proves Nobel jury right
October 9, 2010

WHEN IMPRISONED human-rights and democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize Friday, the Chinese government’s petulant reaction only underlined the justness of the Nobel committee’s decision. Even before that choice was announced, Chinese officials warned of retaliation that will harm Norway’s relations with China. Beijing’s efforts to bully the Nobel jury weren’t just bad form; they also demonstrated the urgency of demands by Liu and other dissidents for freedom of speech, respect for human rights, genuine rule of law, and multi-party democracy.

Liu’s method of dissent has been unfailingly peaceful, patriotic, and constructive. During the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, he saved lives by mediating between demonstrators and the military, arranging for many of the protesters to leave the square before the shooting began. In a stirring statement issued last December, two days before he entered prison to serve an 11-year sentence, Liu said he wanted “to counter the hostility of the regime with the best of intentions, to defuse hate with love.’’

Onetime Czech dissident Vaclav Havel and peace prize winners Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama were recognizing one of their own when they nominated Liu for the Nobel. The Norwegian Nobel committee deserves respect for defending its independence against the threats from Beijing. And if China is lucky, the day will soon come when Liu Xiaobo will be respected in his own country as he now is in the rest of the world.