Liu Xiaobo, Charter 08, and the challenges of political reform in China [electronic resource] / edited by Jean-Philippe Beja, Fu Hualing, and Eva Pils.

Issued as part of UPCC book collections on Project MUSE.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part one: Liu Xiaobo and the crime of inciting subversion -- 1. Is jail the only place where one can "live in truth"? Liu Xiaobo's experience / Jean-Philippe Beja -- 2. The sky is falling: inciting subversion and the defense of Liu Xiaobo / Joshua Rosenzweig -- 3. Criminal defense in sensitive cases: Yao Fuxin, Yang Jianli, Jiang Lijun, Du Daobin, Liu Xiaobo, and others / Mo Shaoping, Gao Xia, Lü Xi, and Chen Zerui -- 4. Breaking through the obstacles of political isolation and discrimination / Cui Weiping -- Part two: Charter 08 in context -- 5. Boundaries of tolerance: Charter 08 and debates over political reform / Pitman B. Potter and Sophia Woodman -- 6. The threat of Charter 08 / Feng Chongyi -- 7. Democracy, Charter 08, and China's long struggle for dignity / Man Yee Karen Lee -- 8. Charter 08 and Charta 77: East European past as China's future? / Michaela Kotyzova -- Part three: Charter 08 and the politics of Weiquan and Weiwen -- 9. Challenging authoritarianism through law / Fu Hualing -- 10. Popular constitutionalism and the constitutional meaning of Charter 08 / Michael W. Dowdle -- 11. Charter 08 and violent resistance: the dark side of the Chinese Weiquan movement / Eva Pils -- 12. The politics of Liu Xiaobo's trial / Willy Wo-Lap Lam -- 13. The political meaning of the crime of "subverting state power" / Teng Biao -- Appendix: Charter 08 -- Notes -- Index.

On the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Charter 08, a manifesto asking for the transformation of the People's Republic into a Federal Republic based on separation of powers, a multi-party system, and the rule of law, was sent to the Chairman of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It was signed by 303 persons from all walks of life: intellectuals and ordinary people, communist party members and dissidents. Two days before it was made public, one of its initiators, Liu Xiaobo, was taken away from his home by the police. After more than twelve months in detention, he was sentenced to eleven years in jail for "incitement to subversion of state power." Two years later, Liu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, a decision the Chinese leaders considered a display of hostility by Western powers. But why had they reacted with such severity to a nonviolent petition signed by such a small proportion of the population?

Description based on print version record.