Nobel Peace Prize for Chinese Human Rights Activist
By Rakesh Raman
The Nobel Committee has announced the Nobel Peace Prize 2010 for jailed Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo (pictured above). Liu, 54, has been spearheading a peaceful movement in China to see democratization of the political process in that country.
The Nobel Prize is awarded to Liu for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. It was announced today, Oct. 8.
Liu was arrested in 2008 by Chinese authorities for leading a campaign termed as Charter 08 that aimed to seek political reforms including democratically elected government for the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Thousands of people have already signed the Charter.
It is believed that the Chinese authorities have expressed their displeasure to the Norwegian Nobel Committee over the Peace Prize to Liu.
The last year Nobel Peace Prize also attracted a loud controversy. It was won by the U.S. President Barack Obama. People believed that Obama’s contribution toward peace was insignificant as compared to others who earned this distinction – including Muhammad Yunus, Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa and others.
Many of those who have won Nobel Peace Prize for non-violent movements in their countries have largely followed the Gandhian (Mahatma Gandhi) principles.
But ironically Mahatma Gandhi, who led the non-violent struggle to get freedom for India from Britishers, was never given the Nobel Peace Prize.
Every year, since 1901, the Nobel Prize is awarded for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace.
The Nobel Prize is an international award administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden.
Photo courtesy: Nobelprize.org
By Rakesh Raman, the managing editor of Raman Media Network.
