Human rights activists yesterday invited jailed Nobel Peace Prize winning Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波) and his wife, Liu Xia (劉霞) — who is under house arrest — to a forum in Taipei next month. They hope this will compel the government to be more vocal in calling for their release.
Representatives from the Cross-Strait Agreement Watch, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights (TAHR) and the Taiwan Labor Front (TLF) applied to the National Immigration Agency to allow the couple to attend a forum on implementing two UN human rights covenants in Taiwan and China.
Organizers hope Liu Xiaobo can give a speech on how his prize would affect the development of human rights in China.
TAHR secretary-general Tsai Chi-hsun (蔡季勳) said the government should take firm action to express concern for the welfare of the couple and other jailed activists and dissidents in China.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) made a low-key comment to the effect that Liu Xiaobo should be released after criticism was directed at the Presidential Office for issuing a “pointless” statement in response to Liu Xiaobo winning the Nobel prize.
Inviting the couple “would send a strong message to the world and China that Taiwan cares about the deprivation of liberties of Chinese human rights activists and their security,” Tsai said.
Liu Xiaobo was jailed in December for his involvement in “Charter 08,” a political manifesto calling for political reforms in China.
He was also jailed in 1989 for his role in the Tiananmen Square protests and again in 1996 for criticizing China’s policies toward Taiwan and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
After visiting Liu Xiaobo to inform him of his prize, Liu Xia was placed under house arrest.
Along with the application, the organizers of the forum also presented documents for the application stipulated in the Rules Governing Permits for Professional Personnel from Mainland China Engaging in Professional Activities in Taiwan (大陸地區專業人士來臺從事專業活動許可辦法).
The applicants were told by immigration authorities they also needed to provide photos and copies of the couple’s passports and ID cards by Tuesday, when a review committee of the application is scheduled to be held.
In view of the difficulty in obtaining copies, TLF secretary-general Son Yu-lian (孫友聯) said they hoped the government would make an exception in this case or take the initiative to invite the couple.
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