Press release
15 October 2012
The Swedish Academy has awarded the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature to the Chinese Writer Mr. Mo Yan after awarding the 2000 prize to the first Chinese writer Mr. Gao Xingjian, a French citizen. Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC) congratulates Mr. Mo Yan on the fact that he is first Chinese writer residing in China who has been awarded this highest honor of international literary world, thus becoming the second Chinese citizen as a Nobel Prize Laureate, following Dr. Liu Xiaobo, ICPC’s former and honorary President, who won the peace prize in 2010. It has been reported that Mr. Mo said at a press conference held in his hometown after the announcement of the award that he hoped that Mr. Liu Xiaobo, now serving his sentence of 11 years imprisonment, would be free as soon as possible. For this, ICPC expresses sincere gratitude to Mr. Mo and hopes that Mr. Mo, a vice chairman of the official Chinese Writers’ Association as well as a vice-president of China PEN Center, can join force with all members of PEN International to uphold PEN’s mission and tradition on defending freedom of expression and be more concerned about the current situation of freedom of speech and freedom to write in China, particularly about fellow Chinese writers, including Liu Xiaobo, who are persecuted for their words, and help them to regain their freedom as soon as possible. Continue reading