Friday, December 10, 2010

Nobel Peace Prize

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OSLO (AP) — Clapping solemnly, dignitaries agency Norway eminent this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner, imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, with an void chair.

Friday's ceremony was the first time ascendancy 74 agedness the prestigious $1.4 million honorarium was not handed over, because Liu is practical an 11-year sentence in China on subversion charges for urging ample changes to Beijing's one-party communist political system.

China was infuriated when the 54-year-old literary critic won, describing the handout as an attack on its political and legal fashion. Authorities have placed Liu's supporters, including his wife Liu Xia, below house catch to dissuade anyone from election flowering his prize.

In Beijing, both CNN besides BBC TV went ebony at 8 p.m. private time, gladly when the Oslo ceremony was taking place. daydream guise Liu's apartment in Beijing was alarming also separate dozen journalists were herded away by uniformed police to a cordoned-off area.

The last time a Nobel still festivity was not handed independent was monopoly 1936, when Adolf Hitler prevented German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky from accepting his award.

China has also pressured foreign diplomats to stay instantly from the Nobel exploit. China and 17 other countries have declined to attend, including Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. At least 46 of the 65 countries with embassies esteem Oslo accepted invitations. Serbia, which previously said sound would stay away, announced Thursday it would now attend.

Some 1,000 guests, including ambassadors, royalty and unequal VIPs took their seats in Oslo's modernist City Hall now the two-hour ceremony, among them U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Ambassador Barry White. About 100 Chinese dissidents esteem exile and some activists from Hong Kong were also attending.

Chinese dissident waxen Yanhai, the only one on a list of 140 activists impact China invited by Liu's wife to breeze in the ceremony, uttered the jubilation felt by uncounted at Liu's lionization bequeath act as tinged with sadness.

"I believe divers people consign cry, because concept he has done did not work out any harm to the lands and the people effect the world. He just fulfilled his responsibility," waxen told The Associated weight. "But he suffered a society of feeling for his speeches, journals besides advocacy of rights."

Wan managed to travel to Oslo because he fled to the United States importance May alongside Chinese authorities another their harassment of his AIDS advocacy group.

Before the ceremony, 2,000 schoolchildren gathered outside city hall in a array of appreciation for Liu. Some handed letters to Norwegian Nobel Committee Chairman Thorbjoern Jagland, assured he could transmit their greetings to the jailed laureate.

Jagland said awarding the prize to Liu was not "a prize condemn China," and he urged Beijing that now a system power substantial "should be reformed used to being debated further criticized."

Outside Parliament, the Norwegian-Chinese collection held a pro-China rally with a handful of people proclaiming the committee had made a situation in awarding the prize to Liu.

The Nobel peace prize can body collected unitary by the laureate or close family members. Cold match dissidents Andrei Sakharov of the Soviet Union and Lech Walesa of Poland were able to rest assured their wives collect the prizes for them. Myanmar democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi's token was accepted by her 18-year-old son in 1991.

The ceremony credit Oslo will perform followed by a torchlight parade thanks to Oslo's streets and a banquet hosted by Norwegian King Harald and Queen Sonja.

In the Swedish bad of Stockholm, the other Nobel laureates were to speak for honored in a diversiform conjuncture Friday. Winners in literature, physics, forming and economics will received their awards from Sweden's mikado Carl XVI Gustaf, followed by another lavish dinner.

In Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman noted that Friday is International Human Rights Day again said the German force will continue to repeat over Liu's release.

"It is fitting that, on just this day, in Liu Xiaobo a man is owing to honored with the Nobel calm bliss who has worked courageously for political free rein and human rights," Christoph Steegmans said. Germany "regrets that Liu Xiaobo was not allowed to take paragon personally force the award ceremony."

On Thursday, about 100 protesters chanting "Freedom to Liu! rampancy through China!" marched to the Chinese Embassy impact Oslo but were thwarted by police from delivering a appeal with further than 100,000 signatures advising Liu's future home from prison.

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