Communist China: Rights Activist Liu Xiaobo Loses Appeal, US and EU Urge Release | Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

The media has reported that China freedom activist Liu Xiaobo has lost his appeal against his 11 year sentence, and that the U.S. government and the European Union have urged for his release.

The Voice of America reports that:
— “China’s High Court Thursday rejected Liu Xiaobo’s appeal to change an 11-year jail sentence, which was handed down on December 25.”
— “The 54-year-old writer was convicted of subversion for helping organize a manifesto called “Charter 08,” which calls for sweeping civil and political reforms. He was detained in December 2008, shortly before the document was released on-line.”
— “The U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman immediately issued a statement expressing Washington’s disappointment in the decision. The statement, read by Embassy spokesman Richard Buangan, called on the government to release Liu immediately and allow Chinese citizens to peacefully express their political views.”
— ” ‘Persecution of individuals for the peaceful expression of political views is inconsistent with internationally recognized norms of human rights,’ he said.”
— “The European Union also issued a statement calling for Liu’s release and an end to harassment and detention of many of the thousands of Chinese who signed Charter 08.”
The Christian Science Monitor reports that:
— “Liu appealed a sentence, handed down on Dec. 25, that shocked relatives and rights activists with its harshness. It was the heaviest punishment for such a crime that lawyers could remember.”
— “‘His harsh sentence is a stark reminder to the Chinese people and the world that there is still no freedom of expression or independent judiciary in China,” says Roseann Rife, a Hong Kong-based researcher for Amnesty International.”
— “Liu, a scholar and literary critic, was charged with ‘incitement to subversion’ because he coauthored Charter 08, a petition for political freedom and an end to the ruling Communist party’s monopoly of power. The online petition has garnered thousands of signatures since it was released just over a year ago.”
— ” ‘This is a really, really difficult time for human rights in China right now,’ says John Kamm, who heads the US-based human rights group Dui Hua.”