On Rights Day, China Hails Gains and Detains Protesters (Updated)
New York Times has an update about International Human Rights Day events in China, including the release of Charter 08 and the arrest of several participants, including Liu Xiaobo:
The day was busy for public security officials, sent to quell a protest by about 40 people who rallied outside the gated headquarters of the Foreign Ministry. After about 30 minutes of calling for free elections and demanding a crackdown on corruption, the demonstrators were herded onto buses and taken away.
Wednesday was the third day of detention for Liu Xiaobo, one of China’s most prominent dissidents. Friends and relatives said he was being held for his role in drafting a bold public letter that demands political, legal and constitutional reform.
The letter, posted on the Internet and signed by 303 Chinese academics, artists, farmers and lawyers, coincided with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a product of the United Nations and a foundation for human rights laws around the world.
Updated: A list of the original signatories to Charter 08 can be found here. A list of 440 additional signatories is here (in Chinese).
