Chinese Human Rights Activist Liu Xiaobo Health Detoriates Further-A Serious Cause Of Concern

In this undated photo, Liu Xia feeds her husband Liu Xiaobo at a hospital in China.
In this undated photo, Liu Xia feeds her husband Liu Xiaobo at a hospital in China.

Liu Xiaobo (born-28 December 1955), the only Nobel Peace Prize winner from authoritarian Communist state China appears to be on death bed. Chinese government has disallowed him to move out of the country for the liver cancer treatment. China fears lest he should emerge as the magnet for the anti Chinese forces which are gaining ground at least in the minds of the people of the country.

Chinese behavior reflects the mindset of the traditional political attitudes of the power elites of the country who have never allowed dissidence of any sort of to take birth, the memories of student protests on Tiananmen Square in 1989 are not faded yet. Liu was also a participant in that protest, since then he has emerged as the effective voice against the conditions of human rights and oppressive rule in the China. He has demanded rights for the free speech and expression, criticized one party system which allows only existence of the communist party with no possibility in true sense of the working of any other political party, has also demanded for realization in real sense of the constitutional provisions. He has also coauthored a manifesto on December 10, 2008 with other intellectuals for the establishment of the democracy in the country known as Charta 08, which was released on the sixtieth anniversary of adoption of Declaration of Human Rights by world body. The manifesto is an effort of several hundreds of intellectuals who have demanded for the reconfiguration of the Chinese social and political system on the democratic lines; which is possible only with adoption of a real democratic constitution in China.

China has always treated Liu an enemy who has always been recognized as the potential threat at the ideological level to the communist regime which has utilized the theoretical postulates of Marxism and truncated its noble values and put all the people of the country within ideological chains with authoritarian system.

Liu though has fought consistently and was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2010; the Nobel Committee appreciated his efforts by saying that he has been awarded the prize “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.”

The detoriating health condition of Liu is matter of grave concern; he has reached to terminal phase of liver problem but no global power has taken note of it. The issue is grave but the world is silent on his conditions. USA which always talked about the humanitarian issues in its foreign policy is silent now. Several other countries which have emphasized role of the humanitarian issues in the global politics are silent.

G 20 meet was recently organized in Germany where top 19 world leaders gathered in Hamburg and deliberated on several issues but the issue of humanitarian violations of Chinese government was thought of no importance. It appears that world has accepted the might of authoritarian regime of China due to its increased power at the global level. It is true that countries are dictated in their foreign policies by the national interests but it does not mean that world should allow people like Liu a silent departure from the scene. These people have raised the voices of the oppressed and have fought the oppression of the authoritarian political rules, they need solidarity and the nation states have immense responsibility to discuss the issue of Liu with.

When governments fail to take the right decision and human rights which are fundamental to human existence are crushed then common people need to come together. The solidarity of common people often stands stronger than the might of the leaders and the nations. USA has experienced it in recent time when regime had to bow down in front of the people’s demand for withdrawal of forces from Vietnam. The national interests of the nation states may exist but need is to come together to place a pressure on the Chinese government to reform itself. The other countries should be made understand that Chinese stand on Liu and on its citizens is not good for the health of the planet and they should collectively discuss with China on the issue of the poor state of human rights in its land.

The reports are emerging that Liu has suffered organs failure and his condition has detoriated further. This is a very sad development and shows Chinese apathy to its citizens- that who opposes the regime will soon lead to grave.

Political regimes cannot control the free human existence as their authority rests on the free will and devotion of the people to the regime but the state of Liu shows that a long journey is still to be taken up to reach a point where regimes are in real sense governed by the General Will of the people otherwise several Liu will keep on coming in the political world but sadly will lie on the beds with all possibility of failings of breath and life.

Dr. Vivek Kumar Srivastava is Assistant Professor, CSJM Kanpur University (affiliated College) and is Vice Chairman, CSSP, Kanpur; e [email protected]

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