The chairwoman of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, MEP Heidi Hautala (Greens/EFA, FI) welcomes with great joy the decision to award this year the Nobel peace prize to Liu Xiaobo, the prominent Chinese human rights defender.[:]
The European Parliament is a longstanding supporter of human rights in China. In 2008 the European Parliament Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was awarded to Hu Jia, another renowned human rights defender in China.
“The decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Xiaobo must be considered as a strong support for the struggle for the freedom of expression in China”, declared MEP Heidi Hautala, calling immediate release of Xiaobo, Hu Jia, as well as all others imprisoned human rights defenders in China.
“Awarding the esteemed prize to Xiaobo serves as a timely reminder for China of the universality of human rights and that these rights can never be dispersed of”, she added.