雪笠 報道
2015年9月23日 華盛頓
「現在自由」今天公佈了一封由12名諾貝爾和平獎得主在本月2日寫給奧巴馬總統的信件，要求奧巴馬公開呼籲釋放劉曉波夫婦。
鑑於為釋放劉曉波所做的各種「私下外交」努力均告失敗，包括圖圖大主教、14世達賴喇嘛、貝洛主教、希爾琳·艾芭迪、莱伊曼·古博薇、塔瓦庫·卡曼、梅里德·科里根·麥奎爾、里戈韋塔·門楚·圖姆、阿道弗·佩雷斯·埃斯基維爾、威廉·戴维·特林布尔、萊赫·瓦文薩、喬迪·威廉斯在內的12名諾貝爾和平獎得主，在信中敦促同為諾貝爾和平獎得主的奧巴馬總統「公開」呼籲中共解除對劉曉波妻子劉霞的軟禁，並允許她出國就醫。「除非您這樣的領導人採取緊急的、公開的行動，否則中國將以為他們可以繼續為所欲為」。
早在劉曉波獲得諾貝爾和平獎之前，「現在自由」就已經是劉曉波夫婦的志願法律顧問。「現在自由」的創辦人傑拉德·根瑟說，「我們非常焦慮劉曉波夫婦的命運，在這麼多年的營救努力失敗以後，我們真心希望奧巴馬總統能在習近平的國事訪問結束前，要求習近平釋放他們，基於人道立場允許劉霞出國治療。」
「現在自由」有一個由國際人權專家組成的團隊來代表劉曉波，包括傑羅米·科恩（紐約大學教授和外交關係委員會高級研究員）、Irwin Cotler（加拿大議員、前司法部長和總檢察長）、David Kilgour（前加拿大議員和亞太國務書記）、楊建利（「現在自由」曾經代理的客戶、公民力量發起人）
Letter to President Obama
September 2, 2015
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Obama,
We are writing as your fellow Nobel Peace Prize Laureates to ask that you call publicly on the Government of China to release from house arrest Liu Xia, the wife our imprisoned fellow Laureate Dr. Liu Xiaobo, and to allow her to travel abroad for medical treatment as she has requested. We also ask that you urge his immediate release as well.
On December 25, 2009, Liu Xiaobo, a highly-respected intellectual and advocate for democracy, was sentenced to 11 years in prison for “inciting subversion.” The charges were based on his political essays and co-authorship of Charter 08, which called for peaceful political reform in China. Citing those same works, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Dr. Liu its Peace Prize in 2010. Shortly thereafter, Liu Xia, Dr. Liu’s wife, was placed under house arrest. Liu Xia has been stripped of all personal freedoms for nearly five years without charge or trial and her health has deteriorated precipitously in the last year.
Although the Chinese Government claims Liu Xia is under “no legal restriction,” her apartment is under 24-hour police supervision and her movement and accessibility completely restricted. She suffered from a heart attack in 2014 and has severe back pain. She is also battling severe depression and anxiety amid her isolation and uncertainty.
Doctors have warned that such severe mental health problems will worsen unless there is a change in her living conditions. The government has rejected repeated requests to allow Liu Xia to go overseas and seek the medical care she needs. We believe there are strong humanitarian grounds for you to urge her release. And if the Chinese government responds she is under no restriction, then you are in a position to ask it to facilitate a meeting for your Ambassador in Beijing to see her and arrange her travel abroad.
Four years have passed since the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, an independent and impartial body of experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, found the respective detentions of Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia to be in violation of international law. All attempts to resolve their detentions through private diplomacy have failed. We believe that unless leaders like you take urgent action, both publicly and privately, that China will continue to believe it can act with impunity and without consequence for its behavior.
Sincerely,
Desmond M. Tutu
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1984
The 14th Dalai Lama
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1989
Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo
Nobel Peace Prize, 1996
Shirin Ebadi
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 2003
Leymah Gbowee
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 2011
Tawakkol Karman
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 2011
Mairead Maguire
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1976
Rigoberta Menchú Tum
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1992
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1980
David Trimble
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1998
Lech Wałęsa
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1983
Jody Williams
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 1997
