[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 122 (Wednesday, July 19, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S4084]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 223--HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF LIU XIAOBO FOR 
 HIS STEADFAST COMMITMENT TO THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, POLITICAL 
       FREEDOMS, FREE MARKETS, DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS, GOVERNMENT 
 ACCOUNTABILITY, AND PEACEFUL CHANGE IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

  Mr. CRUZ (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, and Mr. Gardner) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations:

                              S. Res. 223

       Whereas Liu Xiaobo was born on December 28, 1955, in 
     Changchun, People's Republic of China;
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo received his bachelor's degree in 
     literature from Jilin University in 1982, his master's degree 
     at Beijing Normal University in 1984, and his doctorate 
     degree in 1988 in literature, after publishing several best-
     selling books over the course of pursuing his doctorate 
     degree;
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo began his work as a visiting lecturer at 
     universities across the world, including Columbia University 
     in New York, New York;
       Whereas over the tenure of his career, Liu Xiaobo authored 
     18 major publications;
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo was active in the Tiananmen Square 
     protests, where he initiated the Tiananmen Four Gentlemen 
     Hunger Strike, which lasted 3 days;
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo has been credited for saving many 
     students' lives by helping to negotiate their evacuation from 
     Tiananmen Square;
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo was detained and jailed in 1989 through 
     1991 for his role in the protests, and then jailed again in 
     1996 through 1999 for advocating that the Government of the 
     People's Republic of China redress its wrongdoings in the 
     student protest;
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo married Liu Xia in 1996, who has stood 
     bravely by his side as a partner and fellow activist;
       Whereas, on December 9, 2008, a diverse group of more than 
     300 Chinese scholars, writers, lawyers, and activists issued 
     Charter 08, a manifesto calling on the Communist Party of 
     China to abandon authoritarian rule in favor of democracy, 
     the guarantee of human rights, and the rule of law;
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo was 1 of the original drafters of 
     Charter 08 and was taken into custody just days before the 
     manifesto was released;
       Whereas in December 2009, a court in Beijing sentenced Liu 
     Xiaobo to 11 years in prison for ``inciting subversion of 
     state power'' for his involvement in drafting Charter 08;
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 
     October 8, 2010, ``for his long and non-violent struggle for 
     fundamental human rights in China'';
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo's wife, Liu Xia, has been held in extra-
     legal home confinement since October 2010, 2 weeks after her 
     husband's Nobel Peace Prize award was announced, and has 
     reportedly suffered severe health problems over the years 
     that required hospitalization;
       Whereas in May 2011, the United Nations Working Group on 
     Arbitrary Detention issued opinions declaring that the 
     imprisonment of Liu Xiaobo and the detention of Liu Xia by 
     the Government of the People's Republic of China contravened 
     the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo has also received more than a dozen 
     awards and honors from several international groups for his 
     work as a defender of the press, an outstanding democratic 
     activist, and a defender of human rights;
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer 
     in May 2017;
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo died on July 13, 2017, while serving his 
     11-year prison sentence; and
       Whereas Liu Xiaobo dedicated his life to human rights, not 
     only in his own country, but across the globe: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the life and accomplishments of Liu Xiaobo; 
     and
       (2) calls for the Government of the People's Republic of 
     China to release Liu Xiaobo's wife, Liu Xia, from house 
     arrest, and allow her to settle in a place or country of her 
     own choosing.

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