MARGARET WARNER:

That peaceful expression included Charter 08, an open letter co-authored by Liu and signed by more than 300 top Chinese thinkers. Released on the Internet last December, it called for open elections, free speech and rule of law.

The 53-year-old Liu was detained that same month, not the first time he's run afoul of Chinese authorities. In 1989, while a visiting scholar in the U.S., he returned to China to take part in the Tiananmen Square uprising. He was jailed for 20 months after the government cracked down.

His wife, Liu Xia, spoke today after briefly meeting with her husband.

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