He couldn’t collect the prize on his own because he had been incarcerated by the Chinese authorities. An empty chair for the laureate was placed at this year’s ceremony as a symbol of opposition to oppression by the Chinese authorities which also prevented dissident’s wife from travelling to Norway.
Since that time the image of the empty chair is used by a growing number of regime’s opponents wishing to show their support for Mr Xiabao, his wife Liu Xia, kept under house arrest, and other Chinese activists suffering repression. The campaign for Liu Xiaobo was endorsed by organisers of One World, the world’s largest human rights film festival held annually in Prague and other cities of the Czech Republic. WATCH DOCS organisers followed the Czech example and sent a letter to Liu Xiaobo inviting him to join the festival’s jury. Both Chinese President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao were informed in writing on the invitation extended to Mr Xiaobo.
‘We’re well aware that by inviting Liu Xiaobo to WATCH DOCS and sending one letter we’ll not compel the Chinese government to release him. However, we do hope that our engagement in the ‘Empty Chair’ campaign will inspire other organisations to take action and that more and more letters will be sent to the Chinese authorities condemning their actions’, say the organisers. ‘We’re going to leave an empty seat at the WATCH DOCS opening and closing ceremonies. In addition, posters with the dissident’s photo will be shown in the screening halls, displayed in the catalogue and on the festival’s website. Viewers will also have a chance to send a postcard with the campaign’s logo and the slogan “Words are Not Crime” to the Chinese authorities’, they add.
The ‘Empty Chair’ campaign is supported by: Human Rights Watch (London/ United Kingdom), Amnesty International (the Hague/ Netherlands) and People in Need (Prague/ Brussels).
