PHOTO STORY: Taiwan Remembers Liu Xiaobo

Liu Xiaobo, one of the most important Chinese dissidents of his generation, died Thursday, aged 61. The democracy campaigner and Nobel Peace Prize winner was been jailed for most of the past decade. He was diagnosed with liver cancer on May 23 and was released for medical treatment days later. He became the first Nobel laureate to die in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who passed away in a hospital while held by the Nazis in 1938. Hundreds gathered near Taipei’s Liberty Square last night to commemorate his life and call for the release of his wife Liu Xia, who has been under house arrest for years.

A Chinese student who asked to remain anonymous said he attended the event out of his admiration for Liu. “I don’t think his ideals will be achieved any time soon given China’s political environment but I applaud those with the conviction to stand up,” he said.

Wu Bing-you (吳秉宥) who studies political science at Soochow University, was born in 1994, the year Taiwan held its first democratic election. The suffering that Liu faced in search of democracy is inspiring to Wu who feels that Taiwan must now “actively demonstrate our democracy and human rights awareness.”

One participant told The News Lens: "I am very happy to see so many young people here today on a Friday night instead of staying home enjoying the AC. You are the future of democratic Taiwan.”

Lee Ching-yu (李淨瑜), wife of Taiwanese activist Lee Ming-che (李明哲) who is detained in China, attended the event where she gave several interviews.

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