Nobel Peace Prize Winner is Liu Xiaobo

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OSLO, NORWAY (GaeaTimes.com) — First time in 74 years of Nobel history that the award was not handed over to the winner! Shocked? You should be.

The winner of this year’s Noble peace award was none other than imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who could not collect the prestigious award that worth $1.4 million.

So, the dignitaries in Norway had no other way than to solemnly clapping for the winner at the Friday’s award ceremony.

Xiaobo, 54 is currently held at a Chinese prison. He is serving an 11-year prison sentence on subversion charges for urging sweeping changes to Beijing’s one-party communist political system.

China raged over the Nobel Committee’s decision. In Beijing, both CNN and BBC TV went black at 8 p.m. local time, exactly when the Oslo ceremony was taking place.

According to reports, Beijing is considering the award as an attack on its political and legal system.

Moreover, Liu’s supporters, including his wife Liu Xia are under house arrest to prevent anyone from collecting the prize.

China along with 17 other countries such as Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba have declined to attend the ceremony while 46 out of 65 countries have accepted the invitations.