Jailed Chinese Dissident Hu Jia Is Honored
Beijing denounces the action and threatens Europe with reprisals
Jailed Chinese dissident Hu Jia, who was profiled by U.S. News in February, was honored Thursday by the European Union despite Beijing's warning that such an action would seriously harm its relations with the 27-nation bloc.
Members of the European Parliament selected Hu for the Sakharov Prize from among finalists that also included candidates from Belarus and Congo. The prize is named in honor of the late Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov.
"Hu Jia is one of the real defenders of human rights in the People's Republic of China," said European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering.
Chinese authorities dismissed the human-rights recognition as improper interference in the country's internal affairs. "We all know what kind of person Hu Jia is. He is a criminal, convicted on the charge of inciting subversion of government," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said at a news briefing in Beijing.
The bespectacled activist had been something of a one-man human-rights band, maintaining close contacts with dissidents and their families, tirelessly gathering information, and sending it out on the Web for the world to see.
After a trial in March, part of a pre-Olympics crackdown on dissent, he was sentenced to 3½ years in jail.
Reader Comments
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I can know nothing about Hujia from Chinese media..I know nothing about him.. But I had watched a video about Hujia in USnews and I founnd it interesting that Hujia use ENGLISH WORDS on the board he made to show his opinion.It's abnormal.
A well written article!
As an Australian with several years experience living and working in various cities around China, I feel well placed to comment.
First, it's sad to see the Chinese "patriotic" CPC zealots posting their bile here in the comments.
HuJia is a true Chinese patriot. He's helped 1000s of poor, dispossessed farming people get at least some legal representation. He's fought for the rights to adequate medical care of 1000s of innocent poor people infected with the AIDS virus by uncaring authorities. He's sacrificed his health and his personal well-being so that others can have access to accurate information about the state of affairs in China.
He's opposed by a plethora of corrupt people who for the mere sake of avoiding embarrassment from the exposure of their own mistakes and ineptitude hire/use thugs to attack him, and a corrupt police and legal system to repress him.
It's a sad state of affairs for this country where most people are very friendly, yet they have been treated like babies and also fed propaganda their whole lives. They are also too aware that they (however hidden it may be) still live in a police state.
HuJia is a great man and a deserved winner of the Sakharov Prize.
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