Hong Kong protest marks first anniversary of Liu Xiaobo jailing

Sat, 25 Dec 2010

Hong Kong - Dozens of protesters on Sunday demonstrated outside China's de facto embassy in Hong Kong to mark the first anniversary of the jailing of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

The group staged a protest outside the Beijing Liaison Office in Hong Kong early Sunday demanding the release of Nobel Peace laureate Liu, who was jailed for 11 years for subversion on December 25, 2009.

The protesters carried banners and shouted slogans outside the building calling on China to release Liu, who was awarded the the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month over Beijing's strong objections.

Protesters complained that barriers erected by police prevented them from entering the building and handing in a petition, according to government-run radio station RTHK.

On Christmas Day 2009, six Hong Kong activists demonstrating over Liu's jailing were arrested for unlawful assembly, on the grounds that Beijing Liaison Office was private property.

Those charges were thrown out last week by a magistrate who said the area outside the building was a public space and that people had the right to demonstrate.

Hong Kong, a former British colony which reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, has a mini-constitution guaranteeing political freedoms and is the only place on Chinese soil where anti-Beijing protests are tolerated.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/359661,anniversary-liu-xiaobo-jailing.html.