Noble Case

In a sharp rebuke to Beijing, the Nobel Committee named imprisoned Chinese scholar Liu Xiaobo the 2010 Peace Prize winner for "his long and nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights in China." The decision by the five-member committee appointed by the Norwegian Parliament comes over the objection of the Chinese government, which considers Liu a criminal.

But when the Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman, Thorbjoern Jagland, announced the award, commenting that, "China has become a big power in economic terms as well as political terms, and it is normal that big powers should be under criticism," it's been reported that the broadcast on the BBC and CNN went black. This will have affected both tourist and upmarket foreign hotels as well as places where foreigners gather, with the blackout extending to reports on the Prize which later aired. Major mainland news portals have yet to publish news of Liu's prize. On Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter, users were briefly permitted to post his name. There have also been complaints that text messages containing "Liu Xiaobo" were blocked by the major cell phone service providers.(See pictures of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.)

The Chinese government has since responded to Lui's award. "To give the Peace Prize to such a person is completely contrary to the purpose of the award and a blasphemy of the Peace Prize," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement posted on the ministry's website. He added that the award could harm China's relations with Norway. As for Lui's wife - surrounded by police at their Beijing apartment - Liu Xia wasn't allowed out to meet reporters, giving brief remarks by phone and text message instead. She said she was happy and planned to deliver the news to Liu at prison on Saturday. In a statement on her behalf by Freedom Now (the legal NGO which has advocated for Liu Xiaobo), she said, "I am grateful to the Nobel Committee for selecting my husband, Liu Xiaobo,...