Jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo wins 2010 Nobel Peace Prize

Washington, Oct.8 (ANI): Jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2010 for helping to spearhead a campaign for more freedom in China.

In a statement, the Nobel Committee in Stockholm said Liu, 54, was awarded the prize "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China."

Liu is currently serving his sentence at Jinzhou prison in Liaoning, hundreds of miles from his home and wife, Liu Xia, in Beijing.

His wife reacted to the news by expressing her thanks that Liu's physical condition seems to have improved in jail, that he's allowed to read and that the two can exchange regular letters.

"We have no regrets. All of this has been of our choosing. It will always be so. We'll bear the consequences together. I've known Liu since 1982. I've watched him change little by little year by year, and we know that we have to pay the price under the current situation in China," the Washington Post quoted Xia, as saying.

In the weeks running up to the announcement, China's government had warned Norway not to award Liu its most prestigious prize, saying that the essayist did not qualify for the honor.

Analysts predicted that in the short-term, China's one-party state would react to the award by intensifying an already tough campaign against dissidents, religious activists and non-governmental organizations. (ANI)