“Charter 08” is a declaration advocating for political reform and respect for human rights in China, first published on December 10, 2008 (World Human Rights Day). The charter was jointly signed by hundreds of intellectuals, scholars, lawyers, and dissidents in China, and one of the original drafters was the famous writer and dissident Liu Xiaobo.
“Charter 08” was inspired by Czechoslovakia’s “Charter 77”. The document calls on the Chinese government to carry out comprehensive political reforms, establish a democratic system, guarantee human rights, promote judicial independence, and freedom of speech. The charter specifically lists 19 major demands, including formulating a new constitution, establishing a political system with separation of powers, guaranteeing basic civil rights, abolishing one-party dictatorship, and ending censorship of news and speech.
The dissemination of “Charter 08” within China is strictly restricted, and some of the people who signed and promoted the charter have been imprisoned and subjected to other forms of persecution by the Chinese government. The most famous of these is Liu Xiaobo, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for participating in the drafting and promotion of “Charter 08” and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.
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