Hu Jia receives the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought

Hu Jia has won the prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, which is awarded by the European Parliament. European Parliament President Pottering 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." Human Rights Watch has a useful chronology of the Hu case. In late 2007., Hu provided telephone testimony on China's human rights abuses to the European Parliament. For this testimony, Hu and his wife were arrested, tried and convicted of subverting state power. He was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison.

Hu has been a peaceful worker on behalf of Human Rights and environmental issues for many years. The Sakharov prize will hopefully help to return focus on his plight as a prisoner of conscience. Amnesty International is still encouraging people to write on his behalf (link is to a PDF).