A Worthy Nobel Peace Prize Winner

 - A brave and important award, says the Progress Party Spokesperson on Human Rights, MP Karin Ståhl Woldseth, as a respond to this year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Liu Xiaobo.  

The Progress Party congratulates the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. –Liu Xiaobo is a worthy winner. It is important that the Nobel Committee now again gives the award to support democracy activists, after some strange decisions in the past, for example by giving the prize to Al Gore and Barrack Obama.

 - It is a daring move, but first and foremost, courageous and important. This is a clear signal to China. A country with so much economic growth, and which is directed towards the West, must open up and allow for people to disagree with those in power, Woldseth continues.

- It is a paradox that Norway is working on a free trade agreement with China, despite knowing that the country violates basic human rights. This award gives some important signals to the Norwegian government as well.  It also clearly shows that the Committee makes its decisions independently, free from political pressure.  It is important that the Nobel Committee makes its decisions independently of the Government and Parliament, she says.

- We cannot ignore the fact that the award can affect the relationship between Norway and China, but I hope this will not be the case in a long term view. - This award should primarily lead China to rethink their actions of violating or ignoring basic human rights, and I think the price is very positive for the development of human rights in China in a long term view, because suddenly eyes all over the world is watching China`s moves, Karin Ståhl Woldseth concludes.