Authors Lobby China to Release Jailed Dissident Writer
Famous authors such as Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie and Ian McEwan are lobbying
the Chinese government for the release of jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo, who was imprisoned after writing a treatise calling for human rights and democratic elections in China.
Around 300 dissidents and intellectuals initially signed the text, and supporters say that 7,000 more have added their names since, despite censors repeatedly removing references to the charter from websites.
But Liu is the only signatory to have been detained for an extended period and police appear to believe that he took a lead in drafting the document. Others say they have been questioned repeatedly regarding the manifesto and Liu's role in its preparation.
The author previously spent several years in prison for his involvement in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
"Liu Xiaobo's arrest and continued detention for being one of the original signatories of Charter 08, which calls for greater freedom of expression and democracy, demonstrates the extent of the ongoing restrictions imposed upon the people of China. We call for his immediate release," said Caroline McCormick, Executive Director of International PEN.
Other writers who have signed International PEN's include novelists Don DeLillo, Ha Jin, Umberto Eco and JM Coetzee; and playwrights Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn.
Liu was a former president and current board member of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre. He is being held at an undisclosed location somewhere in the Beijing area.
