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| Intellectuals held in China crackdown after Liu Xiaobo gets Nobel peace prize Reaction 'predictable and stupid' says head of writers group as fears grow for laureate's missing wifeMore than 30 Chinese intellectuals have been detained, warned or placed under house arrest in a crackdown to stifle celebration of the Nobel peace prize being awarded to the imprisoned democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo.Among those facing restrictions are the laureate's wife Liu Xia who visited her husband in Jinzhou prison earlier today.However, she tweeted today that she visited her husband and found he was told on Saturday that he had won the award. Liu Xia told reporters her husband cried and dedicated his prize to the "dead spirits of Tiananmen"."The reaction of the authorities is predictable and stupid. They have tried to block the flow of information on the internet, detain people and cut telephone communications," said Zhang Yu, the Stockholm-based head of the Writers in Prison Committee of the freedom of expression group, Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC). "I'm sure they have planned for this."The Norwegian Nobel peace prize committee announced on Friday that this year's winner will be Liu, a former literature professor who co-drafted the Charter 08 campaign for increased political liberties in China.US president Barack Obama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Czech president Vaclav Havel were among a host of world leaders who commended the decision, but the Chinese government has responded with fury.The foreign ministry summoned the Norwegian ambassador for a dressing down and declared the decision a "blasphemy" and insult to the Chinese people.Censors cut foreign broadcasts of the announcement and police have been mobilised to choke any sign of domestic support for Liu.About 20 of those affected were at a celebration party in Beijing on Friday night that was broken up by police. Three participants are now under eight days administrative detention for "disturbing social order". The others are under house arrest or heightened surveillance."There are two police outside my apartment building. I can't go out," said Liu Jingsheng, a recipient of the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. "This kind of thing happens from time to time in Beijing during the People's Congress and other politically sensitive periods, but it is tougher now."Lawyer Teng Biao said police prevented him from meeting journalists and warned him not to talk about the award or attend a celebration banquet.The ICPC – of which Liu was a member – appears to have been particularly targeted. The group's deputy secretary general Jiang Bo is among at least 10 members who have been warned. Two are under house arrest and one – Zhao Changqing – has been detained for eight days.The laureate's wife, Liu Xia is also under tight surveillance and the authorities have cut her phone line.Supporters hope that Liu Xia will collect the prize on behalf of her husband at the award ceremony in Europe later this year. If she was then denied re-entry into China, they say this might set the stage for the authorities to release Liu Xiaobo before the end of his jail term so he could join her overseas.This scenario seems optimistic given the Chinese government's recent unwillingness to release political prisoners. But the award has inspired hope.Jiang Danwen, the deputy secretary general of ICPC, said police have warned him not to comment on the prize and are now parked outside his Shanghai home, but the inconvenience was worthwhile."Actually I feel very happy. The reaction shows the award has really shocked the government."ChinaNobel peace prizeLiu XiaoboJonathan Wattsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Q&A: India's Climate Chief on Making India Greener India's environment minister and chief climate change negotiator Jairam Ramesh on the challenges he faces to chart out a green path for India feedproxy.google.com |
Super Typhoon Drenches Philippines Super Typhoon Megi dumped heavy rains over the Philippine capital as it departed after killing seven, creating a wasteland of fallen trees and sending thousands scrambling to safety. online.wsj.com |
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Israel accused over 'cruel' Gaza blockade Report calls for end to embargo, saying easing agreed by Israel six months ago has done little to improve plight of Gaza civiliansGaza's 1.5 million people are still suffering from a shortage of construction materials, a ban on exports and severe restrictions on movement six months after Israel agreed to ease its blockade on the territory, according to a report from 21 international organisations.The loosening of the embargo has done little to improve the plight of Gaza's civilians, according to the coalition, which includes Amnesty, Oxfam, Save the Children, Christian Aid and Medical Aid for Palestinians. It calls for fresh international action to persuade Israel to unconditionally lift the blockade.Israel agreed to ease its restrictions on goods and materials allowed into Gaza following its attack on a flotilla of aid boats in May, in which nine Turkish activists were killed. Since then the import of food and many other consumer items has resumed, although there is still a ban on exports and severe restrictions on construction materials. Israel argues that the latter could be used by militants for military purposes.Tony Blair, the representative of the Middle East Quartet of the US, the UN, the EU and Russia, echoed the call for Israel to accelerate its easing of its blockade in an interview at the weekend. "There has been significant change in Gaza, but not nearly as much as we need," he told the Associated Press.According to today's report, Dashed Hopes: Continuation of the Gaza Blockade, imports of construction materials are 11% of the 2007 pre-blockade levels. Despite having agreed to allow in materials for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to rebuild its schools and clinics damaged or destroyed in the three-week war in 2008-09, Israel has permitted only 7% of the necessary amount.Many of the thousands of homes and businesses hit during the war are still unrepaired almost two years later because of the shortage of building materials.Exports remain banned with the exception of strawberries and carnations for European markets. Israel now allows clothing factories to import fabric, but blocks the export of finished items.But some businesses are still unable to import raw materials they need. According to the report, two-thirds of Gaza's businesses have closed since the blockade was tightened in June 2007, and the rest are operating at restricted capacity.Israel is maintaining an overall ban on the movement of people, with the number of permits granted to people to leave Gaza less than 1% of the number 10 years ago, the report says. There has been a rise in the number of businesspeople allowed to travel, "but ordinary Gaza residents are still denied access to their friends and family, and to educational opportunities in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and abroad".There has been no change on the "buffer zone" around Gaza's perimeters, which swallows 35% of Gaza's arable land and 85% of maritime fishing waters "with devastating impact on the economy and people's rights and livelihoods … Boundaries of the restricted areas are highly arbitrary and enforced by live fire," says the report. Since the blockade was eased six months ago, six civilians have been killed and 50 injured by Israeli fire in the buffer zone."The so-called 'easing' of the Gaza blockade does not change the fact that there's still a cruel and illegal blockade collectively punishing the entire civilian population," said Amnesty director Kate Allen. "The only real easing has been the easing of pressure on the Israeli authorities to end this cruel and illegal practice." Jeremy Hobbs, director of Oxfam, said: "Israel's failure to live up to its commitments and the lack of international action to lift the blockade are depriving Palestinians in Gaza of access to clean water, electricity, jobs and a peaceful future."The coalition calls for renewed international pressure on Israel over Gaza. "There cannot be a just and durable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without an end to the isolation and punishment of people in Gaza," the report says. "The government of Israel and parts of the international community remain reluctant to fully lift the blockade as long as Hamas holds power in Gaza. Yet upholding the rights and needs of civilians in Gaza must not be conditional on other political objectives."COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for Gaza, did not respond to a request for comment.GazaMiddle EastPalestinian territoriesIsraelHarriet Sherwoodguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |