Whereas Liu Xiaobo was born on December 28, 1955, in Changchun, People's Republic of China; Whereas Liu Xiaobo received his bachelor’s degree in literature from Jilin University in 1982, his master’s degree at Beijing Normal University in 1984, and his doctorate degree in 1988 in literature, after publishing several best-selling books over the course of pursuing his doctorate degree; Whereas Liu Xiaobo began his work as a visiting lecturer at universities across the world, including Columbia University in New York, New York; Whereas over the tenure of his career, Liu Xiaobo authored 18 major publications; Whereas Liu Xiaobo was active in the Tiananmen Square protests, where he initiated the Tiananmen Four Gentlemen Hunger Strike, which lasted 3 days; Whereas Liu Xiaobo has been credited for saving many students’ lives by helping to negotiate their evacuation from Tiananmen Square; Whereas Liu Xiaobo was detained and jailed in 1989 through 1991 for his role in the protests, and then jailed again in 1996 through 1999 for advocating that the Government of the People's Republic of China redress its wrongdoings in the student protest; Whereas Liu Xiaobo married Liu Xia in 1996, who has stood bravely by his side as a partner and fellow activist; Whereas, on December 9, 2008, a diverse group of more than 300 Chinese scholars, writers, lawyers, and activists issued Charter 08, a manifesto calling on the Communist Party of China to abandon authoritarian rule in favor of democracy, the guarantee of human rights, and the rule of law; Whereas Liu Xiaobo was one of the original drafters of Charter 08 and was taken into custody just days before the manifesto was released; Whereas in December 2009, a court in Beijing sentenced Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in prison for inciting subversion of state power for his involvement in drafting Charter 08; Whereas Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 8, 2010, for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China