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                                                                                         WORLD NEWS Saturday 15 July 2017


















            Lawmakers say world owes debt of gratitude to Liu Xiaobo



            By KEVIN FREKING             man  Rights,  and  Interna-
            Associated Press             tional Organizations.
            WASHINGTON  (AP)  —  The  Two  pictures  were  posi-
            death  of  Liu  Xiaobo  is  a  tioned  prominently  in  the
            catastrophic loss for China  hearing room — one of Liu
            and  the  entire  world,  and  and the other of an empty
            his  contributions  to  human  chair with his Nobel Peace
            rights  should  never  be  for-  Prize  placed  where  he
            gotten,  members  of  Con-   would  have  been  sitting  if
            gress said during a hearing  he  had  been  allowed  to
            Friday  that  turned  into  a  attend the 2010 ceremony.
            memorial  for  China’s  most  Liu  was  serving  an  11-year
            prominent  political  prison-  sentence  for  incitement
            er.                          to subvert state power. He
            Liu  died  Thursday  of  liver  died at the age of 61.
            cancer    after   spending  House Minority Leader Nan-
            nearly  nine  years  in  cus-  cy  Pelosi  and  Smith  noted
            tody. A House hearing had  that they had attended the
            been  scheduled  to  exam-   award  ceremony.  Pelosi
            ine  his  health  and  deten-  called Liu “one of the great
            tion. The news of his passing  moral voices of our time.”
            the  day  before  prompted  Liu rose to prominence dur-
            praise  for  his  life’s  work  in  ing the 1989 pro-democra-
            advancing liberty and due  cy protests centered in Bei-   A man mourns late Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo outside the Chinese liaison office in
            process as well as condem-   jing’s  Tiananmen  Square,   Hong Kong, Friday, July 14, 2017. As tributes rolled in Friday to mourn China’s most famous political
                                                                      prisoner, a newspaper published by the ruling Communist Party dismissed Liu as a pawn of the
            nation of the Chinese gov-   and  became  one  of  hun-   West whose legacy will soon fade.
            ernment for its treatment of  dreds  of  Chinese  impris-                                                                 (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
            Liu and his wife, Liu Xia.   oned  for  crimes  linked  to
            “No  nation  should  be  the  demonstrations  after  vain,” said Rep. Ed Royce,  ademics  and  activists  fa-       Square and also served five
            judged entirely by crimes of  they  were  crushed  by  the  R-Calif.,  chairman  of  the  miliar  with  Liu’s  work.  They  years in prison in China.The
            the past, but this crime, the  military.  It  was  the  first  of  Foreign  Affairs  Committee.  described the suffering that  lawmakers  and  witnesses
            death  and  silencing  of  Liu  four imprisonments.       “His  sacrifice  and  death  he endured in prison.        wondered  how  his  legacy
            Xiaobo,  should  follow  the  His  last  was  for  co-author-  while in the custody of the  “Even on his deathbed, he  would  and  could  be  per-
            Chinese  Community  Party  ing  “Charter  08,”  a  docu-  Chinese government while  had  no  freedom  to  leave  petuated.
            like an unwashable, perma-   ment  circulated  in  2008  serving  an  unjustified  11-  his last words. Now that he  Perry Link, a professor at the
            nent stain,” said Rep. Chris  that  called  for  more  free-  year  prison  sentence  has  is  gone  the  world  will  nev-  University  of  California  at
            Smith,  R-N.J.,  chairman  of  dom of expression, human  shined  a  light  on  the  sad  er  know,”  lamented  Yang  Riverside,  raised  the  ques-
            the  House  Foreign  Affairs  rights and an independent  state  of  human  rights  in  Jianli,  who  participated  tion of whether Liu’s efforts
            subcommittee  on  Africa,  judiciary.                     China.”                      in  the  demonstrations  for  were in vain. He said no, but
            Global  Health,  Global  Hu-  “Liu’s  efforts  were  not  in  The  panel  heard  from  ac-  democracy  in  Tiananmen  the answer was difficult.q


            Hong Kong court disqualifies 4 lawmakers over oath taking




            HONG  KONG  (AP)  —  A  That  followed  the  govern-      to  mention  the  People’s  In his ruling, Judge Thomas  nesty  International  Hong
            Hong Kong court on Friday  ment’s successful move last  Republic  of  China,  mak-     Au  declared  the  oaths  in-  Kong,  said  in  a  statement
            disqualified four opposition  year to disqualify two other  ing the words sound like a  valid due to “slow reading,”  that Friday’s decision “con-
            lawmakers  from  office  for  young   lawmakers    who  question.                      ‘’intentional   intonation,”  firms  the  Hong  Kong  gov-
            having  turned  their  oath-  used an anti-China slur as a  Veteran   activist   Leung  ‘’repeated  insertion  of  ex-  ernment’s  agenda  to  si-
            taking  into  apparent  pro-  form of protest while being  Kwok-hung  held  up  a  yel-  tra words” and the “use of  lence and effectively pun-
            tests against Beijing, further  sworn in.                 low  umbrella,  a  symbol  of  props  and  theatrical  con-  ish  any  speech  critical  of
            entrenching  the  central  The  four  lawmakers  put  the street protests.             duct.”                       the present political system,
            government’s  hold  over  their own spin on their oaths  Lau  Siu-lai,  a  college  lec-  The  four  had  originally  wherever  it  may  occur,
            the legislature.             in  various  ways  during  the  turer  who  was  also  active  been  allowed  to  retake  even within the legislature.
            The    Chinese    territory’s  Oct.  12,  2016,  ceremony.  in  those  protests,  read  her  their oaths, which were ac-  “It  is  the  latest  damaging
            Court of First Instance ruled  Nathan  Law,  a  student  pledge in slow motion in an  cepted,  unlike  the  other  sign  that  expressing  politi-
            the four had not been sin-   activist  who  helped  lead  attempt  to  make  it  mean-  two  who  were  disqualified  cal opinions that challenge
            cere  when  they  altered  massive  2014  pro-democ-      ingless, while Edward Yiu, a  last year without a second  the  status  quo  are  no  lon-
            their  oaths,  and  declared  racy  street  protests,  raised  university professor, added  chance.                 ger  tolerated,”  Au  had
            their seats vacant.          his  tone  when  he  came  phrases about democracy.       Mabel  Au,  director of  Am-  stated.q
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