Fellow Chinese Dissidents Bash Nobel Prize Frontrunner

Claim jailed Liu Xiaobo too soft on communists
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 7, 2010 10:00 AM CDT
Fellow Chinese Dissidents Bash Nobel Prize Frontrunner
Pro-democracy protesters hold a candle light vigil as they support recently jailed mainland dissident Liu Xiaobo in Hong Kong Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010.   (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo is seen as one of the frontrunners for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, but he’s drawing opposition from an unusual quarter: other Chinese dissidents. A group of 14 overseas dissidents wrote a letter to the Nobel committee calling Liu an “unsuitable” laureate, complaining of his “open praise” of the Communist Party. Liu’s supporters describe him as a pragmatist working for peaceful change, and say his latest prison sentence—11 years for writing a manifesto on Democratic reform—is evidence enough of his sincerity.

Here are some other top contenders for tomorrow's award, according to the Christian Science Monitor:

  • Sima Samar—An Afghan activist for human rights and women’s rights. She’d be the first woman to win since 2003.
  • The Democratic Voice of Burma—A media group that equips covert journalists with equipment to keep watch over the oppressive Burmese regime.
  • Svetlana Gannushkina—A champion of rights for immigrants and refugees in Russia.
  • The Special Court for Sierra Leone—A group looking for “truth and reconciliation” following the country’s civil war.
  • The Internet—Seriously.
(More Nobel Peace Prize stories.)

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