China tightens grip ahead of Nobel ceremony

Obama regrets absence of Peace Prize winner Liu

OSLO (Reuters) - Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in an Oslo ceremony derided by Beijing as a farce, and dedicated it from his prison cell to the “lost souls” of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

In Beijing, police stepped up patrols at key points on Friday, including Tiananmen Square, where witnesses say hundreds or thousands were killed when troops crushed reform protests, and Liu’s apartment where his wife is believed to be under house arrest. Authorities tightened a clampdown on dissidents.

Western news websites, including the BBC and CNN, appeared to have been blocked. But there were no signs of trouble in the Chinese capital where memories of Tiananmen have faded for many as China has risen as a global economic and political power, while guarding the Communist Party’s tight hold on society.

“We can to a certain degree say that China with its 1.3 billion people is carrying mankind’s fate on its shoulders,” Norwegian Nobel committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said in the text of a speech prepared for the ceremony before 1,000 guests in the richly decorated City Hall.

“If the country proves capable of developing a social market economy with full civil rights, this will have a huge favorable impact on the world. If not, there is a danger of social and economic crises arising in the country, with negative consequences for us all.”

The absence of the laureate, sentenced last year to 11 years jail for subversion, was symbolized at the ceremony by an empty chair and a large portrait.

It was the first time that a laureate under detention has not been formally represented since Nazi Germany barred pacifist Carl von Ossietzky from attending in 1935.

U.S. President Barack Obama said he regretted Liu had been denied the chance to attend the ceremony. He said he respected Beijing’s economic accomplishments but urged China to recognize the importance of human rights.

Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann was due to read out an address made by Liu, 54, who was closely involved in Tiananmen and more recently helped found the reform group Charter 08, to a court during his trial for subversion in December 2009.

“Hatred can rot away at a person’s intelligence and conscience. (The) enemy mentality will poison the spirit of a nation, incite cruel mortal struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and hinder a nation’s progress toward freedom and democracy,” the address said.

But the former literature professor saw cause for hope.

“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.”

Jagland said Chinese attempts to control the internet showed its weakness. “Information technology cannot be abolished. It will continue to open societies,” he said.

“Liu has told his wife that he would like this year’s Peace Prize to be dedicated to ‘the lost souls from the 4th of June.’ It is a pleasure for us to fulfill his wish.”

U.S. President Barack Obama said on Friday he regretted that neither Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo nor his wife would be allowed to attend the ceremony in Oslo awarding Liu the Nobel Peace Prize and urged China to do more to advance democracy.

Nobel Peace Prize given to Liu Xiaobo in absentia

OSLO (Reuters) - China could face economic and social crises if it fails to embrace full civil rights, with consequences for the whole world, the Nobel Committee said in prepared remarks for a ceremony awarding the Peace Prize to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

The awarding of the prize to Liu, serving an 11-year sentence for subversion, has infuriated Beijing as the rising Asian power becomes more assertive on the world stage. It has attempted to use diplomatic pressure to discourage countries from attending the ceremony in Oslo.

Norwegian Nobel Committee Chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said Liu wanted to dedicate his Nobel to “the lost souls” of 1989 when troops crushed pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square. Witnesses and rights groups said hundreds were killed.

“We can to a certain degree say that China, with its 1.3 billion people, is carrying mankind’s fate on its shoulders,” Jagland said in the prepared speech.