“China is a state governed by the rule of law. We try cases in accordance with law. We call on the United States to take care of the human rights abuses in its own country and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of the other countries on the pretext of human rights, acting as a judge and infringing the sovereignty and independence of other states,” Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a briefing, commenting on a statement made by US Secretary of State John Kerry.
Liu is a Chinese writer, critic and human rights activist detained in 2008 for his involvement in the preparation of a petition calling for political change in China and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. In 2010 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his "long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China."
In late October nine human rights organizations — Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Freedom House, the International Campaign for Tibet, Freedom Now, Human Rights in China, Human Rights First, the Uyghur American Association and Project 2049 Institute – wrote a letter to US president Barack Obama urging him to press Beijing to free “baselessly” imprisoned human rights activists.
