IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1717 

Congratulating imprisoned Chinese democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo on the 

award of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 16, 2010 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. WU, Mr. INGLIS, Mr. MCCOTTER, 

Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Mr. PITTS, Mr. 

WOLF, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, 

and Mr. TOWNS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Congratulating imprisoned Chinese democracy advocate Liu 

Xiaobo on the award of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. 

Whereas Liu Xiaobo played a leading role in the 1989 

Tiananmen Square demonstration for democratic reform, 

insisting on peaceful means and democratic process; 

Whereas since 1989, Liu Xiaobo has been a leading figure 

promoting democratic reform and respect for human 

rights, including by writing hundreds of notable essays on 

these subjects; 

Whereas between June 6, 1989, and October 1999, the Government of China detained Liu Xiaobo 3 times, totaling 

over 4 years confinement for his role in Tiananmen 

Square and continued promotion of political reform; 


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•HRES 1717 IH 

Whereas in 2008, Liu Xiaobo was one of the principal drafters and organizers as well as one of the first signers of 

Charter 08, a manifesto that proposed democratic reform 

in China; 

Whereas, on December 8, 2008, the Government of China detained Liu Xiaobo for his role in Charter 08, and found 

him guilty of ‘‘inciting subversion of state power’’ in 

2009 and sentenced him to 11 years imprisonment; 

Whereas since December 2008, thousands of Chinese citizens 

from all walks of life have signed Charter 08, and the 

Government of China has detained, placed under house 

arrest, or harassed many of them; 

Whereas in 2010, many persons from around the world nominated Liu Xiaobo for the Nobel Peace Prize, including 

the 14th Dalai Lama, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Vaclav 

Havel, and 7 members of the United States House of 

Representatives; 

Whereas, on October 8, 2010, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced its award of the 2010 Nobel Peace 

Prize to Liu Xiaobo for his ‘‘long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China’’; 

Whereas the Norwegian Nobel Committee noted that, ‘‘the 

campaign to establish universal human rights also in 

China is being waged by many Chinese . . . through the 

severe punishment meted out to him, Liu has become the 

foremost symbol of this wide-ranging struggle for human 

rights in China’’; 

Whereas when on October 9, 2010, Liu Xia, Liu Xiaobo’s 

wife, notified her husband that he had been awarded the 

Nobel Peace Prize, he responded by dedicating the prize 

to ‘‘the Tiananmen martyrs’’; 


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•HRES 1717 IH 

Whereas the Government of China responded to the award by 

placing Liu Xia under house arrest, harassing and detaining Liu Xiaobo’s friends and supporters, censoring 

Internet Web sites and blacking out television broadcasts 

that reported the award, and defaming Liu Xiaobo by describing him as a ‘‘criminal’’, a ‘‘political tool of the 

West’’, and a ‘‘traitorous operative’’; 

Whereas the Government of China has claimed that its imprisonment of Liu Xiaobo is an internal matter and that 

the award constitutes meddling in China’s internal affairs; and 

Whereas President Barack Obama, the recipient of the 2009 

Nobel Peace Prize, has congratulated Liu Xiaobo on the 

award and called on the Government of China to release 

him from prison: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) congratulates Liu Xiaobo on the award of 

3 the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize; 

4 (2) honors Liu Xiaobo’s promotion of demo5 cratic reform in China, and the courage with which 

6 he has bore repeated imprisonment by the Govern7 ment of China; 

8 (3) states that in honoring Liu Xiaobo, it also 

9 honors all those who have promoted democratic re10 form in China, including all those who participated 

11 in the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstration for 

12 democratic reform; 


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•HRES 1717 IH 

1 (4) asserts that Liu Xiaobo is a political pris2 oner, and that Liu Xia, Liu Xiaobo’s supporters, 

3 and all signers of Charter 08 who have been de4 tained, placed under house arrest, or harassed, are 

5 the victims of political persecution; 

6 (5) calls on the Government of China to release 

7 Liu Xiaobo from prison, and to release Liu Xia, Liu 

8 Xiaobo’s supporters, and all signers of Charter 08 

9 from detention, house arrest, and harassment; 

10 (6) calls on the Government of China to cease 

11 censoring media and Internet reporting of the award 

12 of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo and to cease 

13 its campaign of defamation against Liu Xiaobo; 

14 (7) urges President Barack Obama to continue 

15 to work for the release of Liu Xiaobo from prison, 

16 as well as the release of Liu Xia, Liu Xiaobo’s sup17 porters, and all signers of Charter 08 from deten18 tion, house arrest, and harassment; and 

19 (8) emphasizes that violations of human rights 

20 in general, and the persecution of Liu Xiaobo, Liu 

21 Xia, Liu Xiaobo’s supporters, and all signers of 

22 Charter 08 specifically, are matters of legitimate 

23 concern to other governments. 

Æ 


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