Once again, the Olympics changed everything. Well done by the IOC! Thos who dared to protest China during the runup to the Olympics were obviously completely wrong about the government being a bunch of criminal thugs who ought to be in prison themselves for human rights violations.
China sentenced the co-author of a daring call for reform to an unprecedented 11 years in prison Friday in what rights groups called a direct slap at international pressure — and a warning that the treatment for dissidents will be increasingly harsh.
Diplomats from more than a dozen countries were shut out of Liu Xiaobo's trial on subversion charges, and the United States called for his immediate release.
Liu, a 53-year-old literary critic, co-wrote an unusually direct appeal called Charter 08, asking for increased freedoms in China and the end to the Communist Party's dominance. More than 300 people, including some of the country's top intellectuals, signed it before it was made public.
