According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Human Rights Watch (HRW), on December 10, Chinese dissident and principal author of “Charter ‘08,” Liu Xiaobo, was indicted on charges of trying to “subvert the state.”  “Charter ‘08,” a public appeal calling for bold reforms that promote democracy and human rights in China, was published via the Internet in December 2008; Liu was arrested for posting the appeal that same month.  He has been detained for over a year awaiting his trial.  He now faces up to 15 years in prison.

Liu has not granted an open trial, and his wife, Liu Xia, was told by court officials this week that she would not be allowed to attend.  Several signatories of “Charter ‘08” were also warned by security agents not to attend the trial and have been under police surveillance. 

RSF believes authorities are using the indictment and trial to intimidate China’s intellectuals and activists.

For more information from RSF, go to: www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=35302

For more information from HRW, go to: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/12/21/china-liu-xiaobo-s-trial-travesty-justice

To read “Charter 08,” go to: www.hrichina.org/public/contents/press?revision_id=85750&item_id=85717

To follow the campaign to free Liu Xiaobo on Twitter, go to: http://twitter.com/freeliuxiaobo

Read a previous alert about Liu Xiaobo.