Liu Xiaobo, a Chinese university professor and outspoken critic of the Chinese government, was imprisoned in 2009 on subversion charges for his involvement with a political manifesto calling for gradual political reforms in China. He was recently named the 2010 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.  He also received the 2010 Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism from Human Rights Watch last week.

Attorney  Yvonne Tong,  a family friend of Liu Xiaobo, was in Chicago  to accept the Alison Des Forges Award on his behalf.  Senior Researcher for the Asia division of Human Rights Watch, Nicholas Bequelin also sat down with Jerome to discuss Liu Xiaobo’s case.