Nineteen Countries Decline to Attend Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony

The Nobel Committee has confirmed that nineteen countries have declined invitations to attend the Peace Price ceremony in Norway on December 10, a rise on the usual number of declines.Β  This year, the Nobel Peace Prize is being awarded to Chinese prisoner of conscience Liu Xiaobo.

The 19 countries that have declined to attend according to the Committee are Afghanistan, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sudan, Tunisia, Ukraine, Venezuela and Vietnam.

According to Sam Zarifi, Amnesty’s director for Asia-Pacific, “China has been arm-twisting behind the scenes to stop governments from attending the Nobel Prize ceremony, using a combination of political pressure and economic blackmail.”

The fact that, despite the pressure and threats, the Chinese could only cajole a small minority of countries, reflects the unacceptable nature of their demands. Governments and international institutions must continue to resist this type of bullying.

China has made some great economic advances, but the world’s governments should not be mesmerized by China’s economic growth. The Chinese people want to be part of the global discussion on human rights and we should do everything possible to include them fully.

Join in demanding that China release Liu Xiaobo immediately.

AIUSA welcomes a lively and courteous discussion that follow our Community Guidelines. Comments are not pre-screened before they post but AIUSA reserves the right to remove any comments violating our guidelines.

22 thoughts on “Nineteen Countries Decline to Attend Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony

  1. Some evidence that China are actually doing this please, before I go into a massive anti-Chinese rage?

  2. My goodness, sorry you can't attend, 19 countries, for whatever your reasons and you and your concience know what those are. Regardless, LIU XIAOBO is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and as for the ceremony on December 10, it is just that – a "ceremony". The Prize has already been awarded. Bless you and peace to you, world.
    P.S. See you at the next ceremony!

  3. Some evidence that China are actually doing this please, before I go into a massive anti-Chinese rage?

  4. My goodness, sorry you can’t attend, 19 countries, for whatever your reasons and you and your concience know what those are. Regardless, LIU XIAOBO is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and as for the ceremony on December 10, it is just that – a “ceremony”. The Prize has already been awarded. Bless you and peace to you, world.
    P.S. See you at the next ceremony!

  5. Even I thought that the Sri Lankan president would have been a better bet for the Nobel Peace Prize !! – I mean, tell me another person who has ended a 30 year old Brutality of Terrorism and brought peace to a country ????

  6. Even I thought that the Sri Lankan president would have been a better bet for the Nobel Peace Prize !! – I mean, tell me another person who has ended a 30 year old Brutality of Terrorism and brought peace to a country ????

  7. The irony is that this award is supposed to enhance world peace. Instead this committee is turning this whole thing in to something that promotes disunity and endangers world peace! Now, the Wikileaks founder has been accused of doing the same thing and many influential Western politicians (aka civilized ones) have said that Julian Assange should be killed for that. My question is, do those same recommendations apply to the Nobel committee?
    The Nobel institute has become an agent of American propaganda in it's selection of awards, especially in the supposed "Peace Prize". I'm sure Nobel himself is spinning in his grave seeing what has become of his legacy. Awarding a Peace prize to American Politicians or other noted warmongers of the world is a farce http://coat.ncf.ca/our_magazine/links/53/rockefel

  8. The irony is that this award is supposed to enhance world peace. Instead this committee is turning this whole thing in to something that promotes disunity and endangers world peace! Now, the Wikileaks founder has been accused of doing the same thing and many influential Western politicians (aka civilized ones) have said that Julian Assange should be killed for that. My question is, do those same recommendations apply to the Nobel committee?
    The Nobel institute has become an agent of American propaganda in it's selection of awards, especially in the supposed "Peace Prize". I'm sure Nobel himself is spinning in his grave seeing what has become of his legacy. Awarding a Peace prize to American Politicians or other noted warmongers of the world is a farce http://coat.ncf.ca/our_magazine/links/53/rockefel

  9. The irony is that this award is supposed to enhance world peace. Instead this committee is turning this whole thing in to something that promotes disunity and endangers world peace! Now, the Wikileaks founder has been accused of doing the same thing and many influential Western politicians (aka civilized ones) have said that Julian Assange should be killed for that. My question is, do those same recommendations apply to the Nobel committee?
    The Nobel institute has become an agent of American propaganda in it's selection of awards, especially in the supposed "Peace Prize". I'm sure Nobel himself is spinning in his grave seeing what has become of his legacy. Awarding a Peace prize to American Politicians or other noted warmongers of the world is a farce http://coat.ncf.ca/our_magazine/links/53/rockefel

  10. I wouldnt go to ceremony into Sweden, where are fabricatin' case against journalist Assange, besides Canada and USA who promote assassination of Assange. If Y'LL look closely, China put disidents behind bars after trial USA and Canada would like to assassinate em and put em on no fly list.
    As WikiLeaks prepares to release 400,000 Iraq war documents, two former government security officials argue that WikiLeaks could have prevented 9/11, if the website had been around in 2001. 70% american like to assassinate Assange. Next day they go cry at 9/11 site. And they say he jeopardise national security.

  11. The irony is that this award is supposed to enhance world peace. Instead this committee is turning this whole thing in to something that promotes disunity and endangers world peace! Now, the Wikileaks founder has been accused of doing the same thing and many influential Western politicians (aka civilized ones) have said that Julian Assange should be killed for that. My question is, do those same recommendations apply to the Nobel committee?
    The Nobel institute has become an agent of American propaganda in it’s selection of awards, especially in the supposed “Peace Prize”. I’m sure Nobel himself is spinning in his grave seeing what has become of his legacy. Awarding a Peace prize to American Politicians or other noted warmongers of the world is a farce
    http://coat.ncf.ca/our_magazine/links/53/rockefeller.html

  12. I wouldnt go to ceremony into Sweden, where are fabricatin’ case against journalist Assange, besides Canada and USA who promote assassination of Assange. If Y’LL look closely, China put disidents behind bars after trial USA and Canada would like to assassinate em and put em on no fly list.
    As WikiLeaks prepares to release 400,000 Iraq war documents, two former government security officials argue that WikiLeaks could have prevented 9/11, if the website had been around in 2001. 70% american like to assassinate Assange. Next day they go cry at 9/11 site. And they say he jeopardise national security.

  13. The wonderful satirist Tom Lehrer said "It was at that moment that satire died, There was nothing more to say after that.", when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973.

    Those all-knowing, know-nothing lackeys in the Committee then awarded the peace prize to Saint Obama (more civilians killed from drone strikes than by Bush II).

    I'm sorry that Mr Xiaobo's in prison for his well-meaning statements on freedom and democracy, but he knew the rules of the game in China, whose rulers need to keep the country together until it slowly finds its way to democracy, free love and the rest.

    This is simply Western geo-politics masquerading as 'human rights', yet again. And AI pretends not to notice. Hmmm….

    I wonder what the great Sam Zafiri has to say about "arm-twisting", "pressure" and "death threats" currently being enforced by a large, powerful (supposedly) democratic country (i.e. the USA) against Julian Assange of Wikileaks? His silence, so far is deafening.

    But here's the thing: when AI offered to help Assange (with the Afghan war log leaks) his reply is worth carving in stone:

    ""I'm very busy and have no time to deal with people who prefer to do nothing but cover their asses.." Fantastic! πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚
    http://tinyurl.com/37jjca5

  14. The wonderful satirist Tom Lehrer said "It was at that moment that satire died, There was nothing more to say after that.", when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973.

    Those all-knowing, know-nothing lackeys in the Committee then awarded the peace prize to Saint Obama (more civilians killed from drone strikes than by Bush II).

    I'm sorry that Mr Xiaobo's in prison for his well-meaning statements on freedom and democracy, but he knew the rules of the game in China, whose rulers need to keep the country together until it slowly finds its way to democracy, free love and the rest.

    This is simply Western geo-politics masquerading as 'human rights', yet again. And AI pretends not to notice. Hmmm….

    I wonder what the great Sam Zafiri has to say about "arm-twisting", "pressure" and "death threats" currently being enforced by a large, powerful (supposedly) democratic country (i.e. the USA) against Julian Assange of Wikileaks? His silence, so far is deafening.

    But here's the thing: when AI offered to help Assange (with the Afghan war log leaks) his reply is worth carving in stone:

    ""I'm very busy and have no time to deal with people who prefer to do nothing but cover their asses.." Fantastic! πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚
    http://tinyurl.com/37jjca5

  15. The wonderful satirist Tom Lehrer said "It was at that moment that satire died, There was nothing more to say after that.", when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973.

    Those all-knowing, know-nothing lackeys in the Committee then awarded the peace prize to Saint Obama (more civilians killed from drone strikes than by Bush II).

    I'm sorry that Mr Xiaobo's in prison for his well-meaning statements on freedom and democracy, but he knew the rules of the game in China, whose rulers need to keep the country together until it slowly finds its way to democracy, free love and the rest.

    This is simply Western geo-politics masquerading as 'human rights', yet again. And AI pretends not to notice. Hmmm….

    I wonder what the great Sam Zafiri has to say about "arm-twisting", "pressure" and "death threats" currently being enforced by a large, powerful (supposedly) democratic country (i.e. the USA) against Julian Assange of Wikileaks? His silence, so far is deafening.

    But here's the thing: when AI offered to help Assange (with the Afghan war log leaks) his reply is worth carving in stone:

    ""I'm very busy and have no time to deal with people who prefer to do nothing but cover their asses.." Fantastic! πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚
    http://tinyurl.com/37jjca5

  16. The wonderful satirist Tom Lehrer said “It was at that moment that satire died, There was nothing more to say after that.”, when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973.

    Those all-knowing, know-nothing lackeys in the Committee then awarded the peace prize to Saint Obama (more civilians killed from drone strikes than by Bush II).

    I’m sorry that Mr Xiaobo’s in prison for his well-meaning statements on freedom and democracy, but he knew the rules of the game in China, whose rulers need to keep the country together until it slowly finds its way to democracy, free love and the rest.

    This is simply Western geo-politics masquerading as ‘human rights’, yet again. And AI pretends not to notice. Hmmm….

    I wonder what the great Sam Zafiri has to say about “arm-twisting”, “pressure” and “death threats” currently being enforced by a large, powerful (supposedly) democratic country (i.e. the USA) against Julian Assange of Wikileaks? His silence, so far is deafening.

    But here’s the thing: when AI offered to help Assange (with the Afghan war log leaks) his reply is worth carving in stone:

    “”I’m very busy and have no time to deal with people who prefer to do nothing but cover their asses..” Fantastic! πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

    http://tinyurl.com/37jjca5

  17. Agree with all who posted here.

    The Nobel Peace Price has since recent become a joke and a mouthpiece to the western allies. It is sad to see that it's the west that try to keep a distance from the rest of the world or try to get the rest of the world dance to their tunes than join in an a worldly effort to achieve world wide peace…

    I still say – Let's campaign for Assange to receive the next Nobel Peace award for uncovering the dirt of the west !!

  18. Agree with all who posted here.

    The Nobel Peace Price has since recent become a joke and a mouthpiece to the western allies. It is sad to see that it’s the west that try to keep a distance from the rest of the world or try to get the rest of the world dance to their tunes than join in an a worldly effort to achieve world wide peace…

    I still say – Let’s campaign for Assange to receive the next Nobel Peace award for uncovering the dirt of the west !!

Comments are closed.