The career of writer and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo intersected often with China’s pro-democracy movement. He considered the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests a turning point of his life and his death provoked grief and dismay from fellow activists, who vowed to not let his influence wane.
A look at the milestones in the Chinese democracy movement and Liu’s involvement:
1978 Democracy Wall
Citizens are briefly allowed to call for political and intellectual freedoms. Liu is a student of Chinese literature at Jilin University.
1986 Student Protests
Students protest for democracy, leading to the ouster of reformist Communist Party Secretary General Hu Yaobang. Liu gains renown as a writer and lecturer.
1989 Tiananmen Square Protests
Massive student-led pro-democracy movement is crushed by the army. Liu leaves a job at Columbia University to join the protests and is jailed after the crackdown.
1998 Democracy Party of China
Efforts to form an opposition party result in several arrests and lengthy sentences for organizers. Liu is not involved after having been detained for issuing an appeal on behalf of those who took part in the Tiananmen protests.
2008 Charter 08
Liu joins other activists in drafting a call for greater freedom and democracy and an end to one-party rule. He is detained on Oct. 8, 2008, and sentenced a year later to 11 years in prison for inciting subversion of state power.
2010 Nobel Peace Prize
The honor is bestowed on Liu in recognition of his peaceful struggle for human rights and democracy, although, imprisoned, he is unable to attend. China responds with fury, but the award renews awareness of the struggle of China’s pro-democracy activists.
2011 Arab Spring Crackdown
Communist leaders disturbed by uprisings against authoritarian regimes in the Middle East and online calls for protests dubbed the “Jasmine Revolution” within China ratchet up monitoring of perceived dissidents and critics. Among those detained is activist artist Ai Weiwei, who was held for three months and then barred from leaving the country for a period.
2012 Blind Lawyer Escapes
Chen Guangcheng, a blind, self-taught lawyer, makes a daring escape from house arrest in his rural town into U.S. diplomatic custody in Beijing, setting off a standoff over his case. Chinese officials later let Chen move to the U.S.
2012-13 New Citizens Movement
Legal workers, civic groups and human rights defenders step up their activism against corruption and other abuses, leading to multiple arrests for crimes such as “disrupting public order.”
2015 July 9 Crackdown
The party steps up attacks on legal activists and others, detaining and arresting scores, some of whom are tried and given relatively light sentences as a warning to others.
2017 Illness and Death of Liu Xiaobo
After eight years in prison, Liu is diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer and is moved to a hospital on medical parole. China rebuffs calls from supporters and foreign governments for him to be allowed to seek treatment overseas. He died Thursday at age 61.
