Press Release 新聞稿
Toronto – July 11, 2017
Amnesty International Canada, PEN Canada and the Toronto Association for Democracy in China welcome news of Liu Xia’s release from China and commemorate the work of Liu Xiaobo on the first anniversary of his death on July 13, 2017.
Liu Xia, a poet and artist, has suffered from depression since being placed under house arrest in 2010, after her late husband Liu Xiaobo was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize. During that time, she has been surveilled relentlessly, and effectively detained since the death of Liu Xiaobo on July 13, 2017.
“This is what international pressure can do for human rights,” said Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada. “Thanks to tens of thousands of people who spoke up as part of the ‘Free Liu Xia’ campaign, she has at long last been freed and is now safely in Germany.”
Liu Xiaobo was a writer, literary critic, human rights activist, and co-author of Charter 08, a manifesto calling for political reform in China. He was arrested in 2009 on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power” and sentenced to eleven years’ imprisonment.
China refused to let Liu Xiaobo attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo. Instead, the award was presented to an empty chair. In 2017, Liu became the second Nobel Peace Laureate to die in state custody.
“Liu Xiaobo’s resistance to China’s growing authoritarianism showed the moral power of principled dissent,” said Brendan de Caires, Executive Director of PEN Canada. “He will forever live in our hearts as a champion of freedom of expression.”
Amnesty International Canada, PEN Canada and the Toronto Association for Democracy in China announced on May 29, 2018 on the eve of the 29 th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre that they would erect a sculpture of the “Empty Chair” to commemorate Liu Xiaobo.
“It is important that we remember what Liu Xiaobo has done for human rights for our world,” said Cheuk Kwan, spokesperson for the Toronto Association for Democracy in China. “And we want to memorialize him the best way we can in Canada.”
Renowned Canadian sculptor Ruth Abernethy – whose works include the Glen Gould statue at CBC in Toronto and Oscar Peterson sculpture at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa – will work on the project.
多倫多 – 2017年7月11日
被無理軟禁近十年的劉霞終被獲釋！一直參與國際營救劉霞的多倫多支持中國民運會聯同國際特赦和加拿大筆會發表聲明，感謝各界的支持和努力，並呼籲國際社會繼續關注中國的人權問題，尤其生死未卜的王全璋和高智晟等維權律師。
多倫多支持中國民運會發言人關卓中表示，自劉曉波去年未能帶同妻子劉霞到國外就醫並最終飲恨而逝，民運會隨即發起到中國駐多倫多領事館抗議，並聯同國際特赦和加拿大筆會加入國際營救劉霞的行列。六四29周年一星期前，三個組織更宣布展開籌建劉曉波永久紀念碑，除以此承傳這位2010年諾貝爾和平奬得主不屈不撓的精神，更以劉一生悲苦的命運提醒世人要關注中國人權的嚴重倒退。
國際特赦組織秘書長Alex Neve 表示：
劉霞今次獲釋，証明國際社會的施壓仍然有效。我們要感謝多年來數以萬計個人和各界組織團結一致的力量。
加拿大筆會行政主任Brendan de Caires 亦表示：劉曉波對抗中國強權的至死不屈，彰顯了異見者不朽的道德力量。劉曉波是捍衛言論自由的典範，他不死的精神將永活在我們心裡。
關卓中強調，劉霞即使離開了中國，但中共對她的打壓仍沒結束。她唯一的親人—— 也是曾為幫助她接觸外界而入獄的弟弟劉暉—— 仍不獲准陪同出國。外間評論都認為，中共以劉暉作為人質，禁止劉霞在國外的言論自由。
事實上，維權律師的情況堪憂。高智晟多年來數次遭受綁架、囚禁和酷刑，去年短暫釋放後，又再失蹤300多天，至今杳無音信。王全璋律師自2015 年被帶走至今三年多以來，也是人間蒸發，家人無從相見。他的妻子李文足一直頂著各種壓力尋找丈夫，先後聘請了7位律師，但是一直被官方阻止不讓會見。她向外媒記者哭訴說：「我連他的生死都不知道。在這3年當中，我被（警察）沒有任何手續拖到派出所8-9次了，被他們脫光衣服檢查。就是這樣羞辱我們。…我們的孩子不能上學，在北京沒有穩定的住房。他們（每天）24小時監控我們。」
關卓中呼籲在加拿大享有高度人權和自由的華人要關注為中國人權而犧牲的維權律師。「請大家記著，這些律師被迫害的原因，甚至不是發表過反對中共的言論。而只是在法律體制下為聘請他的公民向法庭依法提出申訴。結果，依法的律師卻被違法的執法者無底線地踐踏和殘害！這就是中國現今的人權狀況！如果我們在享受加拿大生活之同時，對中國人權問題視而不見，就枉為加拿大公民了！」關卓中說。