Charter 08 for reform and democracy in China

Arrests of signatories of Charter 08 (see alsoLiu Xiabao page)

In direct contradiction to Charter 08's call for reform in China there have been a number of arrests by the Chinese authorities related to its issue. The most prominent of these was that of Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese intellectual and human rights activist in December 2008. This caused global concern with both the EU and the US issuing statements:

A statement from the French EU presidency expressed "deep concern" at the arrest of Liu and other activists. It called on the authorities to reveal the reason for Liu's arrest and the conditions of his detention. "It also calls for Mr Liu's fundamental rights and those of the other people arrested in the last few days to be respected and for the principle of freedom of expression to be observed in China in all circumstances," the statement said on Tuesday 16 December 2008.

"The United States is deeply concerned by reports that Chinese citizens have been detained, interrogated and harassed as they prepared to commemorate Human Rights Day and the 60th Anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We are particularly concerned about the well being of Liu Xiaobo, a prominent dissident writer, who remains in the custody of authorities. We call on the government of China to release Liu Xiaobo and cease harassment of all Chinese citizens who peacefully express their desire for internationally-recognized fundamental freedoms."     Press Statement issued by Sean McCormack, Spokesman of U.S. Department of State, December 11, 2008


Liu Xiaobo (see NEWS below) had served as President of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre since 2003. He is a one of the most prominent dissendents in China. Liu participated in the Tiananmen Square protests and has been arrested and detained repeatedly for his peaceful polictical activities, including 3 years in prison for criticising the Chinese Communist Party. On 8 December 2008, 2 days before the charter was issued, Liu's house was ransacked by secret police and he was arrested along with another scholar Zhang Zuhua. Vaclav Havel called for Liu's release.

Other signatories include Zeng Jinyan, the wife of imprisoned dissident Hu Jia who was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament. Hu was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for "inciting subversion of state power". Zeng is, like her husband a human rights activist, and has been named by TIME magazine as one of the 100 most influencial people in the world. She managed to sign Charter 08 despite being under house arrest, stating "It articulated what all the social strata want to say".

Within the first week of Charter 08's release at least 39 of the signatories had been questioned, trailed or had their movement restricted, and this figure has now risen to over 100, claims the activist group Chinese Human Rights Defenders. The Chinese New Year saw a new wave of arrests with writers Liu Di being put under house arrest, and Zhao Dagong not being allowed to leave his city of Shenzhen to travel to his elderly parents. Both signed Charter 08. Police have questioned Bao Tong, a former Communist Party member and aide to Zhao Ziyang, the Communist Party general secretary who was purged from the party in 1989 for sympathising with democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square. He was imprisoned for seven years and has since then been under house arrest. He has said about Charter 08 "the rights that [Charter 08] asserts are as fundamental to existence as wearing clothes, or as food and drink, or as breathing. This is a very good opportunity for the whole country to unite and solve the problems that its people are facing. Chinese society is full of conflicts and clashes right now, and Charter 08 would be a way to alleviate that pressure."