The letter requests Jintao to release Liu Xiaobo from his imprisonment and to release Liu Xiaobo’s wife, Liu Xia, from her de facto house arrest, according to the organization responsible for the letter, Freedom Now.
The letter also asks the G20 leaders to approach Chinese government officials to talk about Xiaobo’s case and urge them to reconsider his imprisonment.
Part of the letter [PDF] reads: “The Chinese government’s release of Dr. Liu would be an extraordinary recognition of the remarkable transformation China has undergone in recent decades.”
Past Nobel Laureates adding their names to the letter include Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama, Elie Wiesel, F.W. de Klerk and John Hume.
Tutu said upon sending the letter, “I am hopeful that President Hu will recognize the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo as a moment of pride and opportunity for the Chinese government. I strongly urge President Hu to release Liu Xiaobo from his imprisonment and to lift all restrictions on Liu Xia’s liberties.”
Earlier this month, the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize went to Xiaobo, who is currently serving a jail sentence of 11 years for co-authoring the Charter ‘08, a manifesto that called for free speech and multi-party elections in the People’s Republic.
China later condemned the Peace Prize selection as “obscene.”
