MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 25, 2010
Contact: Maran Turner
+1 (646) 696-5064; +1 (202) 223-3733
mturner@freedom-now.org
Washington, D.C.: Freedom Now has released a letter initiated by Desmond M. Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, signed by 15 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, and sent to the leaders of the G-20 today on behalf of 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Liu Xiaobo. The letter calls on these leaders to urge Chinese President Hu Jintao to release Liu Xiaobo from his imprisonment and to release Liu Xiaobo’s wife, Liu Xia, from her de facto house arrest.
In the letter, dated October 25, 2010, and attached, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates declared: “The Chinese government’s release of Dr. Liu would be an extraordinary recognition of the remarkable transformation China has undergone in recent decades.” Signatories also include Jimmy Carter, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Elie Wiesel, and Shirin Ebadi, among others.
Upon sending the letter, Bishop Tutu remarked, “I am hopeful that President Hu will recognize the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo as a moment of pride and opportunity for the Chinese government. I strongly urge President Hu to release Liu Xiaobo from his imprisonment and to lift all restrictions on Liu Xia’s liberties.”
Freedom Now was retained by Liu Xiaobo’s wife, Liu Xia, to represent Liu Xiaobo as his pro bono international legal counsel. The team of international legal counsel and human rights specialists includes Freedom Now, NYU Law Professor Jerome A. Cohen, Canadian Member of Parliament and former Minister of Justice and Attorney General Irwin Cotler, Former Canadian Member of Parliament and Secretary of State, Asia Pacific David Kilgour, and former Freedom Now client and Founder and President of Initiatives for China Dr. Yang Jianli.
###
Calling on world leaders to urge Chinese President Hu Jintao to release Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia.