Liu Xiaobo, China’s most famous political prisoner, has died while under police guard in hospital, where he was being treated for late-stage liver cancer. Known as a “criminal” by the Chinese government, Liu was one of the spearheads of Charter 08, a manifesto put forward to call for the protection of human rights, constitutional government and other democratic reforms.
Published on 10 December 2008 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Charter 08 was released with 303 signatures from prominent lawyers, journalists, academics and activists. Despite the Chinese government’s best efforts, the document was circulated across the internet and ultimately gathered more than 10,000 signatures.
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