Nobel Peace Prize boycott in the works
December 8th, 2010 - 12:45 am ICT by Aishwarya BhattBeijing, Dec 7 (THAINDIAN NEWS) As the Nobel Peace Committee sets out to honor jailed Chinese dissident, Liu Xiaobo, several heads of states have opted to stay out of the ceremony.
China has already labeled the Nobel Peace Committee as “clowns” for seeking to honor Xiaobo.
The organizers have revealed that 19 countries, including China, have decided to stay out of the ceremony in Norway. The countries have given diverse reasons for their inability to turn up for the event.
The organizers invite all 58 countries that have their embassy in the Norwegian capital. The countries that have indicated that they will not attend the ceremony are Russia, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, Tunisia, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Pakistan, Egypt, Morocco and the Philippines.
Xiaobo was jailed for 11 years last December for what the Chinese government claim is subversion. The 54-year-old academic and writer’s naming as a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize received condemnation from China who accused the organizers of the awards of meddling in the judicial process of China.
The organizers have revealed that the award will not be received by anyone on behalf of Xiaobo. However they did say that an empty seat will be reserved with the portrait of Xiaobo mounted on it. It was initially believed that his wife will receive the award on his behalf.
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Tags: 11 years, beijing, boycott, chinese government, clowns, condemnation, empty seat, government claim, kazakhstan, liu xiaobo, morocco, nobel peace committee, nobel peace prize, norwegian capital, organizers, philippines, recipient, saudi arabia, serbia, subversion