Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo

An Icon of Protest and Controversy
On Jan. 12, 2010, Hong Kong protesters held a candlelight vigil for Liu. As the months went on, petitions circulated for his release — and that he be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize — culminating in an International Herald Tribune op-ed by Vaclav Havel urging the Norwegian Nobel Committee to choose Liu as this year's recipient. Havel, a former dissident who became President of the Czech Republic, was a key figure behind Charter 77, which called for democracy in then communist Czechoslovakia. Charter 08 was written in admiration of Charter 77.

• Despite China Threats, Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Dissident Liu Xiaobo