NJ Rep. Chris Smith to attend Nobel peace prize ceremony

151 words
10 December 2010
12:52 pm GMT
Associated Press Newswires
English
(c) 2010. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A New Jersey congressman is in Norway for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.

Rep. Chris Smith organized a bipartisan group of lawmakers in February to nominate the winner, imprisoned Chinese activist Liu Xiaobo (lee-oo show-boh) and two other human rights advocates for the award.

Liu won't be in Oslo to collect the $1.4 million award Friday. The 54-year-old literary critic will be represented by an empty chair.

China was infuriated when the prize was awarded to him. He's serving an 11-year prison sentence on subversion charges brought after he called for sweeping changes to Beijing's one-party communist political system.

Smith says Liu's story and courage exposes the extent to which the Chinese government will go to "abuse those who speak out and struggle for freedom in China."