The Norwegian Tibet Committee (NTC) invites to an open meeting with Wang Lixiong, the husband of Tsering Woeser, right, last year´s winner of the Norwegian Authors´ Association´s (NFF) Freedom of Expression award. Chinese authorities has effectively prevented Woeser, who is invited to NFF´s annual meeting 8 March, from travelling by not issuing her with a passport. ((03-MAR-08)

Based on NTC´s invitation / press release, this article hasbeen written and prepared for publication by HRH F / Niels Jacob Harbitz.

Lixiong, a well known essayist and fiction author in his own right, has also suffered persecution and harassment for his criticism of Chinese authorities and his country´s politics. On the basis of extensive travelling in Tibet, Lixiong has written and published several books on the conditions in the occupied country. In the meeting, he will share his views on the situation in Tibet and East Turkestan.

The meeting will take place at the Human Rights House in Oslo on 9 March at 15:00. Everyone is welcome.

Background:
Woeser lost her job and was put under permanent surveillance by Chinese authorities in 2004, with a refusal also of her right to leave the People´s Republic of China. The reason stated for this was that her collection of short stories ´Notes from Tibet,´ published in the Guandong province in 2003, referred positively to the Dalai Lama. From Beijing, where Woeser lives now, she launched a blog, which had more than 300.000 visits, despite being repeatedly blocked by Chinese authorities.

Woeser expresses her regrets and apologies for being unable to come to Oslo. For interviews with her husband, who will be in Oslo from 7 to 10 March, called Anne Oterholm, Director of NFF, at +47 23 35 76 20 or +47 986 43 329. Chungdak Koren, Chairperson of NTC, can be reached at +47 950 24 443.