哈维尔声援刘晓波及家属
For Immediate Release: Vaclav Havel, in HRIC Interview, Sends Message of Solidarity to Liu Xiaobo and Family
Date: January 27, 2010
Vaclav Havel, playwright, former dissident, and first president of the Czech Republic (1993–2003), expressed strong solidarity and sympathy with jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波) and his family in a recent interview with Sharon Hom, executive director of Human Rights in China. On December 25, 2009, Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison on conviction of “inciting subversion of state power,” for six of his essays and for co-authoring Charter 08, an online petition released in early December 2008 calling for human rights and democracy and an end to one-party rule in China.
Speaking to Hom on January 19, 2010, in Prague, Havel said: “It’s incumbent upon us, who have lived through those times and those experiences … to be among the first ones to show solidarity with those who are persecuted for the same reasons.” Havel emphasized that solidarity can send a clear message to the Chinese government that “it can’t just do whatever it wishes.”
Havel said that despite the vast differences between Czechoslovakia in 1977 (a small country in economic decline) and China today (a superpower on a steep rise), there is in fact a striking similarity between them. “The regime wishes for the dictatorship of one party. I think this is where Charter 08 and Charter 77 are similar: they have similar targets and similar messages to deliver to the [respective] regimes,” Havel said.
Charter 08 drew its inspiration from Charter 77, the 1977 manifesto co-authored by Havel that called on the Czech government to respect the country's constitution, its international obligations, and basic civil and human rights. Havel was imprisoned for his involvement in Charter 77. In 1989, Havel became the last president of Czechoslovakia, a position he held until 1992. The following year, Havel was elected the first president of the newly created Czech Republic.
Reflecting on his long struggle to achieve human rights and democracy for his own country, Havel said, “My basic experience shows me that a person who is striving for something, who is going into this conflict has to be ready to say what he or she thinks and shouldn’t count on immediate success. [But] he has to do it because he knows that it’s good, because it’s good for his conscience, because it has meaning.”
Havel sends this message to Liu and his family: “I would like to tell them that I’m not the only one thinking about them and sympathizing with them. I would like to wish them to be patient and to enjoy solidarity. … I would very much like to tell them that they shouldn’t take things too close to their hearts. Because this can help them in overcoming the very upsetting and difficult situations.”
Liu’s sentence has prompted an international outcry, including a statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay that the verdict cast “an ominous shadow” over China’s commitments to protect human rights, and a European Parliament resolution condemning what it called “judicial harassment.” In early January, Havel, along with two former Czech dissidents, delivered to the Chinese embassy in Prague an open letter to Chinese president Hu Jintao protesting Liu’s sentence. In addition, Havel, along with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, both Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and others, jointly endorsed Liu for the Nobel Peace Prize. Inside China, prominent retired Communist cadres, including Hu Jiwei (胡绩伟), former Editor-in-Chief of People’s Daily, the CPC mouthpiece, have denounced the sentence.
Human Rights in China will publish the full interview with Vaclav Havel in the 2010-1 issue of China Rights Forum, an issue on freedom of expression, including a comprehensive dossier on Liu Xiaobo’s case.
(To order a copy of the next issue of China Rights Forum, or to subscribe, please contact communications@hrichina.org.)
哈维尔声援刘晓波及家属
2010年01月27日
捷克剧作家、前异议人士、捷克共和国首任总统（1993-2003）哈维尔，最近在接受中国人权执行主任谭竞嫦采访时表示，他坚决同被监禁的中国异议人士刘晓波及其家属站在一起，并对他们深表同情。2009年12月25日，中国当局根据刘晓波发表的6篇文章和他参与起草《零八宪章》，以“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”判处其11年徒刑。2008年12月初发表的《零八宪章》呼吁在中国保障人权，实行宪政民主，结束一党专政。
2010年1月19日，哈维尔在布拉格接受了中国人权的采访。他说：“对我们这些曾经生活在那个时代并有过切身体会的人来说，率先向那些为了同样原因遭受迫害的人……表达我们同他们站在一起的立场，是义不容辞的。”哈维尔强调指出，对刘晓波的声援给中国政府送出了一个明确的信息，那就是“它不能为所欲为”。
哈维尔说，虽然1977年的捷克斯洛伐克（一个经济衰退的小国）跟现在的中国（迅速崛起的大国）有着很大不同，但事实上两国又有着一个惊人的相似之处。哈维尔说：“（这两个）政权都希望保持一党专政。我认为这就是《零八宪章》与《七七宪章》的相似之处：两者的目标是相似的，要传递给（各自）政权的信息也是相似的。”
《零八宪章》受到了《七七宪章》的启发和鼓舞。哈维尔是当年捷克《七七宪章》的共同起草人；该宪章呼吁当时的捷克政府遵守国家宪法和国际义务，尊重基本人权和公民权。哈维尔因参与《七七宪章》运动而被监禁。1989年，哈维尔当选为捷克斯洛伐克最后一任总统，并任此职直到1992年。1993年，哈维尔被选为新建立的捷克共和国首任总统。
哈维尔回顾了为在自己的国家实现人权与民主而进行的长期抗争后说：“我的基本经验告诉我，一个为着争取某种东西而面临这一冲突的人，他必须毫不犹豫，说出自己的想法，不应指望立即获得成功。（但）他必须去做，因为他知道这是好的，因为这对他的良知是好的，因为这是有意义的。”
哈维尔特别向刘晓波及家属表示：“我想告诉他们，我不是唯一惦念他们、同情他们的人。我希望他们要有耐心，要想到有那么多人在支持他们……我非常希望告诉他们，对此要放宽心。因为这样做有助於他们克服非常令人沮丧和困难的处境。”
中国当局对刘晓波重判11年激起了国际社会的强烈反应，其中包括联合国人权事务高级专员纳瓦尼特姆•皮莱发表的声明和欧洲议会通过的决议。皮莱在声明中指出，对刘晓波的判决使中国作出的保障人权的承诺蒙上了“不祥的阴影”。欧洲议会的决议谴责这种“司法骚扰”行为。哈维尔同诺贝尔和平获得者图图大主教、达赖喇嘛以及其他人，联名提名刘晓波为诺贝尔和平奖候选人。在中国，一些着名的退休中共老干部，如前《人民日报>》总编胡绩伟等人，也谴责当局对刘晓波的重判。
中国人权将在《中国人权论坛》2010年第一期中全文发表对哈维尔的采访。这一期的主题是言论自由，着重报道与刘晓波案有关的内容。〔欲订阅下一期《中国人权论坛》（中英双语），或长期订阅该杂志，请发送邮件到communications@hrichina.org 联系〕。
Date: January 27, 2010
Vaclav Havel, playwright, former dissident, and first president of the Czech Republic (1993–2003), expressed strong solidarity and sympathy with jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo (刘晓波) and his family in a recent interview with Sharon Hom, executive director of Human Rights in China. On December 25, 2009, Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison on conviction of “inciting subversion of state power,” for six of his essays and for co-authoring Charter 08, an online petition released in early December 2008 calling for human rights and democracy and an end to one-party rule in China.
Speaking to Hom on January 19, 2010, in Prague, Havel said: “It’s incumbent upon us, who have lived through those times and those experiences … to be among the first ones to show solidarity with those who are persecuted for the same reasons.” Havel emphasized that solidarity can send a clear message to the Chinese government that “it can’t just do whatever it wishes.”
Havel said that despite the vast differences between Czechoslovakia in 1977 (a small country in economic decline) and China today (a superpower on a steep rise), there is in fact a striking similarity between them. “The regime wishes for the dictatorship of one party. I think this is where Charter 08 and Charter 77 are similar: they have similar targets and similar messages to deliver to the [respective] regimes,” Havel said.
Charter 08 drew its inspiration from Charter 77, the 1977 manifesto co-authored by Havel that called on the Czech government to respect the country's constitution, its international obligations, and basic civil and human rights. Havel was imprisoned for his involvement in Charter 77. In 1989, Havel became the last president of Czechoslovakia, a position he held until 1992. The following year, Havel was elected the first president of the newly created Czech Republic.
Reflecting on his long struggle to achieve human rights and democracy for his own country, Havel said, “My basic experience shows me that a person who is striving for something, who is going into this conflict has to be ready to say what he or she thinks and shouldn’t count on immediate success. [But] he has to do it because he knows that it’s good, because it’s good for his conscience, because it has meaning.”
Havel sends this message to Liu and his family: “I would like to tell them that I’m not the only one thinking about them and sympathizing with them. I would like to wish them to be patient and to enjoy solidarity. … I would very much like to tell them that they shouldn’t take things too close to their hearts. Because this can help them in overcoming the very upsetting and difficult situations.”
Liu’s sentence has prompted an international outcry, including a statement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay that the verdict cast “an ominous shadow” over China’s commitments to protect human rights, and a European Parliament resolution condemning what it called “judicial harassment.” In early January, Havel, along with two former Czech dissidents, delivered to the Chinese embassy in Prague an open letter to Chinese president Hu Jintao protesting Liu’s sentence. In addition, Havel, along with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, both Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and others, jointly endorsed Liu for the Nobel Peace Prize. Inside China, prominent retired Communist cadres, including Hu Jiwei (胡绩伟), former Editor-in-Chief of People’s Daily, the CPC mouthpiece, have denounced the sentence.
Human Rights in China will publish the full interview with Vaclav Havel in the 2010-1 issue of China Rights Forum, an issue on freedom of expression, including a comprehensive dossier on Liu Xiaobo’s case.
(To order a copy of the next issue of China Rights Forum, or to subscribe, please contact communications@hrichina.org.)
哈维尔声援刘晓波及家属
2010年01月27日
捷克剧作家、前异议人士、捷克共和国首任总统（1993-2003）哈维尔，最近在接受中国人权执行主任谭竞嫦采访时表示，他坚决同被监禁的中国异议人士刘晓波及其家属站在一起，并对他们深表同情。2009年12月25日，中国当局根据刘晓波发表的6篇文章和他参与起草《零八宪章》，以“煽动颠覆国家政权罪”判处其11年徒刑。2008年12月初发表的《零八宪章》呼吁在中国保障人权，实行宪政民主，结束一党专政。
2010年1月19日，哈维尔在布拉格接受了中国人权的采访。他说：“对我们这些曾经生活在那个时代并有过切身体会的人来说，率先向那些为了同样原因遭受迫害的人……表达我们同他们站在一起的立场，是义不容辞的。”哈维尔强调指出，对刘晓波的声援给中国政府送出了一个明确的信息，那就是“它不能为所欲为”。
哈维尔说，虽然1977年的捷克斯洛伐克（一个经济衰退的小国）跟现在的中国（迅速崛起的大国）有着很大不同，但事实上两国又有着一个惊人的相似之处。哈维尔说：“（这两个）政权都希望保持一党专政。我认为这就是《零八宪章》与《七七宪章》的相似之处：两者的目标是相似的，要传递给（各自）政权的信息也是相似的。”
《零八宪章》受到了《七七宪章》的启发和鼓舞。哈维尔是当年捷克《七七宪章》的共同起草人；该宪章呼吁当时的捷克政府遵守国家宪法和国际义务，尊重基本人权和公民权。哈维尔因参与《七七宪章》运动而被监禁。1989年，哈维尔当选为捷克斯洛伐克最后一任总统，并任此职直到1992年。1993年，哈维尔被选为新建立的捷克共和国首任总统。
哈维尔回顾了为在自己的国家实现人权与民主而进行的长期抗争后说：“我的基本经验告诉我，一个为着争取某种东西而面临这一冲突的人，他必须毫不犹豫，说出自己的想法，不应指望立即获得成功。（但）他必须去做，因为他知道这是好的，因为这对他的良知是好的，因为这是有意义的。”
哈维尔特别向刘晓波及家属表示：“我想告诉他们，我不是唯一惦念他们、同情他们的人。我希望他们要有耐心，要想到有那么多人在支持他们……我非常希望告诉他们，对此要放宽心。因为这样做有助於他们克服非常令人沮丧和困难的处境。”
中国当局对刘晓波重判11年激起了国际社会的强烈反应，其中包括联合国人权事务高级专员纳瓦尼特姆•皮莱发表的声明和欧洲议会通过的决议。皮莱在声明中指出，对刘晓波的判决使中国作出的保障人权的承诺蒙上了“不祥的阴影”。欧洲议会的决议谴责这种“司法骚扰”行为。哈维尔同诺贝尔和平获得者图图大主教、达赖喇嘛以及其他人，联名提名刘晓波为诺贝尔和平奖候选人。在中国，一些着名的退休中共老干部，如前《人民日报>》总编胡绩伟等人，也谴责当局对刘晓波的重判。
中国人权将在《中国人权论坛》2010年第一期中全文发表对哈维尔的采访。这一期的主题是言论自由，着重报道与刘晓波案有关的内容。〔欲订阅下一期《中国人权论坛》（中英双语），或长期订阅该杂志，请发送邮件到communications@hrichina.org 联系〕。
