Liu Xiaobo, a 2010 Nobel peace prize laureate, was born on December 28, 1956. The 54-year-old is a great man of integrity who took a lot of audacity to stand up and criticize the Chinese Communist government, who dared to sacrifice his freedom and who had the courage to call for democracy and human rights in China. His journey to fight for democracy began in 1989 when he took part in the bloody demonstration in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, which received violent crackdown from the government. Consequently, he was sentenced to serve a 2-year term in prison. This suppression did not discourage him, but only made him stronger and motivated him to strive for democracy and justice in China. Since then he was recaptured twice and sent to prison again. In December 2008, he published a document online that made the government sentence him to 11 years in prison for “subverting state power”. The document is called “Charter 8” which calls for a new constitution, social and political change in China. Liu Xiaobo is now compared to other heroic people who symbolize freedom and democracy such as Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi and South Africa's Nelson Mandela. Although the Chinese has tried everything to paralyze him, his vision will still remains intact and stay with him for the rest of his life.
Do you want to make a change for your country and your people? I strongly believe that one man can truly make a difference. Many heroes have sacrificed themselves for the sake of freedom and democracy. That is, Aung San Su Kyi, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi, Dr. Luther King. Perhaps, one day Liu Xiaobo's wish to see China transform into a democratic government and allow its people to enjoy more freedom may not be an elusive dream anymore.
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