Chinese democracy activist gets Sakharov Prize

Finnish President meets Chinese counterpart, attends ASEM

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Chinese dissident and democracy activist Hu Jia is the winner of this year’s Sakharov Prize.
      Hu is one of China’s best-known human rights activists, who has spoken out on behalf of democracy, the status of HIV patients, environmental protection, and autonomy for Tibet.
      Hans-Gert Pöttering, the Speaker of the European Parliament, said on Thursday that the decision to grant the Sakharov Prize to Hu Jia is also a recognition to all Chinese human rights activists who fight daily on behalf of freedom.
     
The announcement of the prize came on the eve of the start of the Asia Europe Meeting, which opened in Beijing on Friday.
      Representing Finland at the meeting is President Tarja Halonen, who met with Chinese President Hu Jintao on Thursday.
      Halonen said that discussions at the meeting focussed on international politics. She said that there was no talk about Chinese domestic politics or the human rights situation in the country.
     
Chinese government spokesperson Qin Gang denounced the awarding of the Sakharov prize to Hu Jia, calling the move an act of interference in Chinese affairs, and denouncing the recipient as a criminal.
      Members of the European Parliament have reported receiving telephone calls and e-mails from Chinese officials trying to pressure them not to grant the prize to Hu.
      The Associated Press reported that Ambassador Song Zhe, the head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, warned in a letter to the European Commission that granting the prize to Hu would be “an insult to the Chinese and would hurt relations between China and the EU”.
     
The Sakharov prize is awarded by the European Parliament to someone who has championed the cause of freedom of expression. The prize is worth EUR 50,000, and it will be presented on December 17th in Strasbourg.
      However, Hu’s participation in the ceremony is uncertain at best, as he is currently serving a prison sentence of three and a half years.
      Hu was nominated for the prize last year as well, along with his wife Zeng Jinyan. He has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and was actually widely tipped to win it this year.
     
The European Parliament has handed out the Sakharov Prize ever since 1988.
      Eligible for the prize are private individuals or organisations that have promoted democracy and human rights and fought oppression and injustice.
      The winner is chosen by the chairs of the political groups of the European Parliament.
      The prize was named after the Soviet nuclear physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov (1921-1989).
      Previous winners include Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, Taslima Nasareen, as well as the Journalists Association of Belarus.
      To mark the 20th anniversary of the prize, all of the other winners of the prize will be invited to this year’s award ceremony.
     
     
The lengthy linked article by Sami Sillanpää below on Hu Jia's house arrest was taken originally from Helsingin Sanomat's monthly supplement Kuukausiliite, and was quoted extensively around the world at the time of its appearance. It was also featured in The Guardian newspaper in the UK.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  The Year of the Dog - A Chinese activist´s story (22.5.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat