Liu Xiaobo, Charter 08 and the Challenges of Political Reform in China

by Jean-Philippe Béja (Editor), Hualing Fu (Editor), Eva Pils (Editor)

Overview

In December 2008 some 350 Chinese intellectuals published a manifesto calling for reform of the Chinese constitution and an end to one-party rule. Known as “Charter 08,” the manifesto has since been signed by more than 10,000 people. One of its authors, Liu Xiaobo, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 but has remained in prison since 2009 for subversive crimes. This collection of essays—the first of its kind in English—examines the trial of Liu Xiaobo, the significance and impact of Charter 08, and the prospects for reform in China. The essays include contributions from legal and political experts from around the world, an account of Liu’s trial by his defence lawyers, and a passionate—and ultimately optimistic—account of resistance, repression and political change by the human rights lawyer Teng Biao.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789888139071
Publisher:	Hong Kong University Press
Publication date:	06/27/2012
Pages:	396
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Hualing Fu is professor of law and dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong where he holds the Warren Chan Professorship in Human Rights and Responsibilities.

Table of Contents

Notes on Contributors vii

Introduction 1

Part 1 Liu Xiaobo and the Crime of Inciting Subversion

1 Is Jail the Only Place Where One Can "Live in Truth"?: Liu Xiaobo's Experience Jean-Philippe Béja 15

2 The Sky is Falling: Inciting Subversion and the Defense of Liu Xiaobo Joshua Rosenzweig 31

3 Criminal Defense in Sensitive Cases: Yao Fuxin, Yang Jianli, Jiang Lijun, Du Daobin, Liu Xiaobo, and Others Mo Shaoping Gao Xia Lü Xi Chen Zerui 61

4 Breaking through the Obstacles of Political Isolation and Discrimination Cui Weiping 79

Part 2 Charter 08 in Context

5 Boundaries of Tolerance: Charter 08 and Debates over Political Reform Pitman B. Potter Sophia Woodman 97

6 The Threat of Charter 08 Feng Chongyi 119

7 Democracy, Charter 08, and China's Long Struggle for Dignity Man Yee Karen Lee 141

8 Charter 08 and Charta 77: East European Past as China's Future? Michaela Kotyzova 163

Part 3 Charter 08 and the Politics of Weiquan and Weiwen

9 Challenging Authoritarianism through Law Fu Hualing 185

10 Popular Constitutionalism and the Constitutional Meaning of Charter 08 Michael W. Dowdle 205

11 Charter 08 and Violent Resistance: The Dark Side of the Chinese Weiquan Movement Eva Pils 229

12 The Politics of Liu Xiaobo's Trial Willy Wo-Lap Lam 251

13 The Political Meaning of the Crime of "Subverting State Power" Teng Biao 271

Appendix: Charter 08 289

Notes 299

Index 371

Editorial Reviews

This collection of deeply informed essays offers an extraordinarily rich, wide-ranging analysis of the many meanings of Charter 08 and Liu Xiaobo’s trial. It explains the historical meaning of Liu’s speech crime, the social and political contexts out of


“Can a professor of Chinese, by peacefully promoting a rational statement of principles of government, shake the foundations of a state that enjoys growing power, boasts vaulting wealth, and rules more than a billion people? Many foreign observers believe

From the Publisher

... An excellent and wide-ranging analysis of the Charter 08 initiative for the gradual and peaceful democratization of China, and events swirling around the intellectual... professor and activist Liu Xiabo.

Pacific Affairs

Anyone pondering the choices confronting China's recently installed new leadership will want to read this perfectly timed collection of stimulating essays by a diverse group of perceptive China watchers.

Foreign Affairs - Jerome A. Cohen