Nobel Peace Prize 2010: Liu Xiaobo and the Struggle for Human Rights in China

This note covers the Nobel Peace Prize 2010: who won it, why the Norwegian Nobel Committee chose Liu Xiaobo, the background of human rights and reform in China, what Liu Xiaobo actually did, how the Chinese authorities and the world reacted, how the case developed over the years, why the award matters, and quick facts for exams.

What was the Nobel Peace Prize 2010 awarded for?

The Nobel Peace Prize 2010 was awarded to Liu Xiaobo "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China". This is the exact wording the Norwegian Nobel Committee used when it announced the prize on 8 October 2010.

In plain language, the committee was honouring one man's decades-long effort to get the Chinese state to respect rights such as free speech, free assembly and free association, an effort he carried out without ever calling for violence.

The committee has said it believes there is a close link between human rights and lasting peace, because societies that respect rights are less likely to go to war either with their own citizens or with other nations. It traced this idea to Alfred Nobel's own phrase about "fraternity between nations", which it treated as very hard to achieve without human rights and democracy.

The prize is formally called the Nobel Peace Prize. It is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, unlike the other Nobel Prizes, which are awarded in Stockholm. For 2010 the prize amount was 10,000,000 Swedish kronor, and it went to a single laureate who received the whole sum.

Who is the laureate?

Liu Xiaobo

Liu Xiaobo was born on 28 December 1955 in Changchun, in China's Jilin province. At the time of the award his residence was listed simply as China, because he was being held in a prison in the north-east of the country and could not travel.

He received the entire prize (a full share, 1/1), and he died later, on 13 July 2017, in Shenyang, China.

Before his political activism took over his life, Liu trained as a scholar. Liu studied for a Bachelor's degree in literature at Jilin University, then earned a Master's degree and a doctorate at Beijing Normal University, where he also lectured, completing his PhD in 1988.

After that he lectured as a guest at universities in Europe and the United States, with stays connected to Oslo, Hawaii and Columbia University in New York.

His contribution, as the committee saw it, was to keep pressing, year after year and at great personal cost, for the Chinese state to honour rights that its own constitution promised but did not deliver in practice.

He did this through writing, through organising fellow citizens and through public manifestos, always while rejecting violent methods. The committee's chairman said Liu's views would, in the long run, "strengthen China".

What problem was China facing that this prize responds to?

By 2010, China had become an extraordinary economic story. The presentation speech noted that the country's growth rate had stood at ten per cent or more for decade after decade since 1978, that its output had overtaken Germany's a few years earlier and had just overtaken Japan's, making it the world's second largest economy.

Hundreds of millions of people had been lifted out of poverty, and the committee credited China with doing more than any other country to reduce the number of poor people worldwide.

Alongside this growth, the committee said scope for political participation had also broadened.

But it argued that China's new economic weight should bring "increased responsibility", and that the country was in breach of several international agreements it had signed, as well as of its own constitutional promises on political rights.

The committee pointed specifically to Article 35 of China's constitution, which states that citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy "freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration." In practice, the committee said, these freedoms had proved to be "distinctly curtailed" for ordinary Chinese citizens.

This gap between written law and lived reality was the problem that Liu Xiaobo's activism, and this prize, responded to.

What did Liu Xiaobo actually do?

Liu Xiaobo's activism stretched across more than two decades. He took part in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, where, together with friends, he began a hunger strike on 2 June to protest against a declared state of emergency.

The group issued a six-point democratic manifesto that Liu had written, opposing dictatorship and calling for democracy.

He consistently argued against any physical struggle by the students against the authorities, and on 4 June he and his friends tried, only partly successfully, to prevent a violent clash between the army and the students; many lives were lost that day, most of them outside the square itself.

For his role in 1989 he was sentenced to two years in prison. In 1996 he served a further three years in a labour camp, officially for "rumour-mongering and slander" after criticising China's one-party system.

Between 2003 and 2007 he served as president of the independent Chinese PEN-centre. According to the committee, he had written nearly 800 essays by the time of the award, with 499 of them written since 2005.

His most significant later contribution was as one of the chief authors of Charter 08, a manifesto urging China to move its political and legal system step by step towards democracy.

It was published on 10 December 2008, deliberately timed to the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and went on to be signed by several thousand people in China and abroad.

Liu was arrested that same month, and on 25 December 2009 he was sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment and two years' deprivation of political rights, officially for "inciting subversion of state power".

He always maintained that this sentence violated both China's own constitution and basic human rights, saying that opposition "is not the same as undermining".

What did the Norwegian Nobel Committee say in its citation and speech?

Beyond the formal citation, the committee's chairman, Thorbjørn Jagland, used the presentation speech in Oslo on 10 December 2010 to explain the reasoning at length.

He stressed that the committee has "long believed that there is a close connection between human rights and peace," and linked this to Alfred Nobel's own phrase about "fraternity between nations".

The committee argued that China's new economic and political weight carried an obligation: that China "must be prepared for criticism and regard it as positive", in the same way other great powers, including the United States during the civil rights era, had eventually been strengthened rather than weakened by accepting scrutiny.

It warned that without free expression, "corruption, the abuse of power, and misrule will develop".

The committee also drew a direct link between Liu's punishment and his message, noting that he had dedicated the prize, through his wife, to "the lost souls from the 4th of June," referring to those killed around the Tiananmen Square protests.

It quoted Liu's own description of non-violent resistance, in which "the victim responds to hate with love, to prejudice with tolerance, to arrogance with humility, to humiliation with dignity, and to violence with reason."

How did China and the world react to the award?

Liu Xiaobo could not travel to Oslo because he was serving his prison sentence in China; his wife, Liu Xia, and his closest relatives were also unable to attend the ceremony.

As a result, no medal or diploma was presented in person at the 2010 ceremony, something the committee's chairman said showed, by itself, that the award had been "necessary and appropriate".

The presentation speech recalled that this was not the first time a Peace Prize laureate had been kept away from Oslo. It listed several earlier cases where the host country's authorities objected strongly to the choice of laureate.

The speech also noted that the Chinese authorities' response to the 2010 award was to claim that the prize "humiliates China", and to give, in the committee's description, "very derogatory descriptions" of Liu.

The committee rejected the idea that criticising the Communist Party was the same as insulting China or its people, citing Liu's own argument that "Even if the Communist Party is the ruling party, it cannot be equated with the country."

How did the case against Liu Xiaobo unfold?

This timeline shows Liu's activism growing more organised over two decades, from the 1989 protests to Charter 08 in 2008, ending in the eleven-year sentence handed down less than a year before the Nobel Committee recognised his work.

Why does this prize matter?

The committee framed the award as part of a long historical argument that human rights, democracy and peace move together.

It pointed out that over the previous one hundred to one hundred fifty years, these three things had gained an "ever-stronger position in the world", visible in Europe's shift from a continent of frequent wars to one largely at peace, and in decolonisation giving many countries in Asia and Africa the chance to govern themselves with respect for basic rights.

It also argued that rapid economic growth of the kind China had shown depends, in the long run, on "opportunities for free research, thinking and debate", and that without free expression, "corruption, the abuse of power, and misrule will develop".

On this view, Liu's prize was not only about his own case but about whether China's remarkable growth could be matched by openness.

The committee was careful to add that the point of such awards "has of course never been to offend anyone," but to remind the world that today's widely enjoyed rights "were fought for and won by persons who took great risks," and that Liu deserved support precisely because he had taken those risks for others rather than himself.

What did Liu Xiaobo say about non-violence and gradual reform?

Liu Xiaobo's own words, quoted in the presentation speech, show how carefully he separated criticism of the ruling party from criticism of the country itself. He argued that "Even if the Communist Party is the ruling party, it cannot be equated with the country, let alone with the nation and its culture."

On the pace of change, Liu insisted that political reforms in China should "be gradual, peaceful, orderly and controlled," rejecting the idea of a sudden revolutionary break. The chairman added that China had had enough of attempts at revolutionary change, which in his view only led to chaos rather than lasting improvement.

At the same time, he believed society itself was already shifting underneath the formal political structure. He wrote that "An enormous transformation towards pluralism in society has already taken place, and official authority is no longer able to fully control the whole society," suggesting that openness was spreading even where the state resisted it.

For individuals living under this system, Liu's advice was personal rather than purely political: each person, he said, should try to live "an honest life with dignity," whatever the strength of the regime around them.

His most striking statement came in his closing appeal to the court on 23 December 2009, shortly before his final sentencing. He told the court, "I, filled with optimism, look forward to the advent of a future free China. For there is no force that can put an end to the human quest for freedom, and China will in the end become a nation ruled by law, where human rights reign supreme."

The committee's chairman, Thorbjørn Jagland, described Liu as "an optimist, despite his many years in prison," and used these words to argue that Liu's approach, patient, lawful and non-violent, was exactly the kind of struggle the Peace Prize was meant to recognise.

How did the committee compare China's position to other great powers?

To defend its choice, the Norwegian Nobel Committee's chairman placed China's situation alongside the history of other great powers that had faced criticism over human rights and later grown stronger because of it, rather than weaker.

He pointed to the United States, noting that friends and allies had criticised the country both for the Vietnam War and for denying civil rights to African-Americans. He recalled that many Americans had opposed awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Martin Luther King in 1964, yet looking back, the speech argued, the United States grew stronger once African-American citizens won their rights.

He also cited the committee's own record with South Africa, where it had given four Peace Prizes in total. The awards to Albert Lutuli in 1960 and to Desmond Tutu in 1984 provoked great outrage under the apartheid regime at the time, long before the later awards to Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk in 1993 were met with applause instead of anger.

A further comparison was Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 laureate, who did travel to Oslo to receive her prize in person even though the speech noted that much could be said about the reaction of the Iranian authorities; notably, the Iranian ambassador still attended the ceremony.

Taken together, these examples were used to argue that a great power's strength is not threatened by accepting criticism on human rights, but is, in the committee's view, eventually reinforced by it, which is exactly the argument it applied to China's own rapid rise.

Quick facts for exams

The Nobel Peace Prize 2010 was awarded to Liu Xiaobo of China "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China".

It was announced on 8 October 2010 by the Norwegian Nobel Committee and carried a prize amount of 10,000,000 Swedish kronor. Liu received the full share.

He had taken part in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, helped write the 2008 manifesto Charter 08, and was serving an eleven-year prison sentence at the time of the award, so neither he nor his wife could attend the Oslo ceremony on 10 December 2010. He later died in 2017, in Shenyang, China.

Note: Source. The prize facts in this note are from the Nobel Prize's official site, nobelprize.org.

Glossary

• Nobel Peace Prize — an annual award given by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo for work towards peace, often involving human rights and conflict resolution.
• Citation — the official short sentence the Nobel Committee uses to explain why a laureate is being honoured.
• Human rights — basic freedoms, such as speech, assembly and association, that a government is expected to guarantee to its citizens.
• Non-violent struggle — working for political or social change through peaceful means such as writing, protest and petitions, without using or encouraging violence.
• Tiananmen Square protests — the 1989 demonstrations in Beijing calling for political reform, which ended in a violent crackdown.
• Charter 08 — a 2008 manifesto, co-authored by Liu Xiaobo, calling for the gradual introduction of democratic reforms in China.
• Article 35 — the clause in China's constitution that promises citizens freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, procession and demonstration.
• Labour camp — a facility where people are held and made to perform compulsory work, often as a form of political punishment.
• Dissident — a person who openly disagrees with and criticises the policies of their own government.
• Norwegian Nobel Committee — the five-member body, based in Oslo, that selects the Nobel Peace Prize laureate each year.
• Deprivation of political rights — a legal penalty removing a person's rights to vote, hold office or exercise certain civil freedoms for a set period.
• Press release — the official short statement issued by the Nobel Committee on the day the prize is announced.
• Presentation speech — the speech given by the committee chairman at the Oslo ceremony explaining the reasons for the award.

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: Liu Xiaobo attended the Nobel ceremony in person. Correct: he was in prison in China, so neither he nor his wife could attend, and no medal or diploma was presented to him there.
• Misconception: Liu Xiaobo called for armed resistance against the Chinese state. Correct: the sources describe him as consistently opposing violent struggle and promoting non-violent methods, even during the 1989 protests.
• Misconception: Charter 08 called for the immediate overthrow of China's government. Correct: it advocated a gradual shift of China's political and legal system towards democracy.
• Misconception: The Nobel Committee criticised China's economic growth itself. Correct: the committee praised China's economic advances but argued that greater economic weight should come with greater responsibility on rights.
• Misconception: Liu Xiaobo was imprisoned only once, for Tiananmen. Correct: he was sentenced multiple times: after 1989, again in 1996 for three years in a labour camp, and again in 2009 for eleven years.
• Misconception: This was the first time a Peace Prize laureate could not attend the Oslo ceremony. Correct: the committee's own speech lists earlier cases, including Carl von Ossietzky, Andrej Sakharov, Lech Walesa and Aung San Suu Kyi.
• Misconception: The prize citation names Charter 08 directly. Correct: the citation is the general phrase about "long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China"; Charter 08 is discussed in the press release and speech, not the citation itself.

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. In which year was Liu Xiaobo awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? [1 mark]

1. Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, announced on 8 October of that year.

Q2. State the official citation for the Nobel Peace Prize 2010. [2 marks]

1. The citation reads: "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China".
2. This citation was announced by the Norwegian Nobel Committee on 8 October 2010.

Q3. What was Charter 08 and what role did Liu Xiaobo play in it? [3 marks]

1. Charter 08 was a manifesto published on 10 December 2008 calling for the gradual shifting of China's political and legal system towards democracy.
2. Liu Xiaobo was one of its chief authors, and the document went on to be signed by several thousand people in China and abroad.
3. His arrest soon after its publication, and his later eleven-year sentence, made him the leading public symbol of this demand for reform.

Q4. Explain why the Norwegian Nobel Committee linked China's economic growth to its decision to honour Liu Xiaobo. [4 marks]

1. The committee noted that China had become the world's second largest economy, with growth of ten per cent or more for decades, lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty.
2. It argued that such new economic and global status brings "increased responsibility" to honour international human rights agreements that China had itself signed.
3. It warned that without free expression, "corruption, the abuse of power, and misrule will develop", suggesting continued growth needed openness.
4. Liu Xiaobo's campaign for rights such as those in Article 35 of China's constitution was presented as directly relevant to this responsibility.

Q5. Describe the main events in Liu Xiaobo's activism from 1989 to 2009. [5 marks]

1. In 1989, Liu took part in the Tiananmen Square protests, led a hunger strike with friends and drafted a six-point manifesto opposing dictatorship, while trying to prevent violent clashes between students and the army.
2. He was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in these protests.
3. In 1996, he served three years in a labour camp, officially for "rumour-mongering and slander" after criticising China's one-party system.
4. From 2003 to 2007 he served as president of the independent Chinese PEN-centre and continued writing extensively, producing hundreds of essays.
5. In December 2008 he co-authored Charter 08, was arrested that month, and on 25 December 2009 was sentenced to eleven years' imprisonment and two years' deprivation of political rights for "inciting subversion of state power".

Q6. Why could Liu Xiaobo not attend the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony, and how does the Nobel Committee's speech put this in historical context? [5 marks]

1. Liu Xiaobo was serving his eleven-year prison sentence in China at the time of the ceremony, so neither he nor his wife, Liu Xia, nor his closest relatives could travel to Oslo.
2. As a result, no medal or diploma was presented to him in person at the 10 December 2010 ceremony.
3. The committee's chairman said this fact alone showed that the award was "necessary and appropriate".
4. He placed this in a wider pattern, recalling that Carl von Ossietzky in 1935, Andrej Sakharov in 1975, Lech Walesa in 1983 and Aung San Suu Kyi in 1991 had all, for different political reasons, also been unable to attend.
5. The speech argued that such absences often marked prizes that history later judged to be especially significant.

Q7. What reasons did the committee give for linking human rights, democracy and peace? [4 marks]

1. The committee said it has long believed there is a close connection between human rights and peace, linking this to Alfred Nobel's phrase about "fraternity between nations".
2. It pointed to decades of research suggesting there is apparently not a single example of one democracy going to war against another.
3. It argued that human rights limit what any nation-state or majority can legitimately do to its citizens.
4. It traced a historical pattern of rights and democracy spreading over the past century or more, alongside greater peace, especially in Europe after repeated wars.

Q8. How did the Chinese authorities respond to the award, according to the sources? [3 marks]

1. The Chinese authorities claimed that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 "humiliates China".
2. They gave what the committee described as "very derogatory descriptions" of Liu Xiaobo.
3. Liu himself had earlier argued that criticising the ruling party was not the same as insulting the country, saying the Communist Party "cannot be equated with the country".

Key takeaways

• Liu Xiaobo won the whole Nobel Peace Prize 2010 for his long, non-violent struggle for human rights in China.
• The citation specifically praises his "long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China".
• He took part in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and helped write the 1989 six-point democratic manifesto.
• He co-authored Charter 08 in 2008, a manifesto for gradual democratic reform in China.
• He was sentenced in 2009 to eleven years in prison, which made him unable to attend his own Nobel ceremony in 2010.
• The committee linked China's economic rise to a responsibility to honour human rights commitments.
• Liu Xiaobo died in 2017 in Shenyang, China.
• Earlier laureates such as Carl von Ossietzky, Andrej Sakharov, Lech Walesa and Aung San Suu Kyi had also been unable to attend their own ceremonies.

Test yourself

When was the Nobel Peace Prize 2010 announced?

The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the Nobel Peace Prize 2010 on 8 October 2010.

What is the official citation for Liu Xiaobo's prize?

He was honoured "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China".

Where and when was Liu Xiaobo born?

Liu Xiaobo was born on 28 December 1955 in Changchun, China.

What was Charter 08?

Charter 08 was a 2008 manifesto, co-authored by Liu Xiaobo, calling for gradual democratic reform of China's political system.

Why could Liu Xiaobo not attend the Oslo ceremony in 2010?

He was serving an eleven-year prison sentence in China at the time, so he and his family could not travel to Oslo.

Which earlier laureates were also unable to attend their Nobel ceremonies?

Carl von Ossietzky, Andrej Sakharov, Lech Walesa and Aung San Suu Kyi were all prevented from attending in person.

What did Article 35 of China's constitution promise?

It promised citizens freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration.

When did Liu Xiaobo die?

Liu Xiaobo died on 13 July 2017 in Shenyang, China.