MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

EU-Asia summit in Beijing in spite of award to dissident

In spite of strong lobbying from Beijing the European Parliament prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought was awarded to a Chinese human rights activist and political dissident.

Imprisoned Hu Jia field of work ranges from environmental causes to HIV/AIDS advocacy and he is also a prominent voice calling for self determination in several Chinese regions and an official enquiry into the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. The Chinese government had warned that awarding the honor to Hu Jia would damage relations with Europe. In a letter sent to Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering before the award decision, China's EU Ambassador, Song Zhe, said: "If the European Parliament should award this prize to Hu Jia, that would inevitably hurt the Chinese people once again and bring serious damage to China-EU relations." The European Parliament every year since 1988 awards the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, in honour of the Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov. Individuals or global organisations are eligible if they have made an outstanding mark in the field of the fight for human rights or democracy. The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed "strong dissatisfaction at the decision by the European Parliament to give the award to a jailed criminal in China, in disregard of our repeated representations". Liu Jianchao, a ministry spokesman, said: "This is gross interference in China's domestic affairs. I do not believe that anyone gets anywhere by interfering in the affairs of others." However later on Thursday he said the award would not hinder Friday's ASEM (Asia-Europe meeting) with senior EU figures including President Sarkozy of France and José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission which will cover among other issues reforming the global financial system. The ASEM meeting hosted by Beijing on October 24-25 begins with the formal acceptance of six new members, Bulgaria, India, Mongolia, Pakistan, Romania and the ASEAN (Association of the Southeast Asian Nations) Secretariat, swelling membership to 45. Commenting on the award, Parliament President Poettering said, "By awarding the Sakharov Prize to Hu Jia, the European Parliament firmly and resolutely acknowledges the daily struggle for freedom of all Chinese human rights defenders." To mark the 20th anniversary, a special event to which all previous winners of the prize are being invited will be held in Strasbourg on December 16. This year's prize, which consists of a certificate and a cheque for 50.000 Euro will be awarded on December 17. Other prominent contenders for the award this year were the Dalai Lama, the Buddhist spiritual leader and recently released after a long captivity former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt.