Wow! This makes me feel humble. I might spout off every now and then, I might moan about things I don’t agree with, but would I do it if there were a threat of a jail sentence hanging over me for doing it?
Freedom of speech.
We in the Western world, forget just how lucky we are. We forget that freedom of speech has to be fought for. We forget that most people in the world are afraid of mouthing their opinions in case of state retribution… To wit: -
Even though his jail sentence has just been completed, the Chinese writer, Liu Xiaobo, remains in custody in Beijing, as the establishment maintains he is still in violation of China’s criminal law.
Mr Liu, 53, was detained by police on December 8, one day before the publication of the Charter ‘08 document that he co-authored with more than 300 fellow intellectuals who were calling for a new constitution, human rights, elections, freedom of religion and expression and an end to the Communist Party’s hold over the military, courts and government.
“The Public Security Bureau say they must keep investigating his case,” Mr Liu’s lawyer said.
Surely, all they were asking for were basic human-rights, things we take for granted over here?
I suppose it just reinforces how much importance is actually placed on writers. We tend to forget that people actually read our work .... and some might even follow our advice ....
*** Liu Xiaobo, Liu Xiaobo, Liu Xiaobo ***
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End of post - Freedom of speach and author, Liu Xiaobo
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