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Irish Centre for Human Rights partners with Art for Human Rights and Human Rights in China and other rights organisations in special tribute

Wednesday September 11, 2024: A bronze bust of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo commissioned by Art for Human Rights and Human Rights in China (HRIC) has been donated to the Irish Centre for Human Rights at University of Galway.

The sculpture was unveiled in the presence of Professor Siobhán Mullally, Director of the Centre, Bill Shipsey Founder and Director of Art for Human Rights and Fengsuo Zhou Director of HRIC - a friend of Liu Xiaobo and a fellow student leader during the Tiananmen Square Protests in 1989 - and several leaders of other international human rights organisations.

The special dedication event also included a presentation and discussion with Irish Centre for Human Rights students and staff.

The bust, by Czech sculptor Marie Šeborová, is the first bronze bust of the late Nobel Prize Laureate, poet and human rights defender to be placed on a university campus anywhere in the world.

It will have a permanent home in the Irish Centre for Human Rights. The project has been realised in partnership with ARTICLE 19, Index on Censorship, Front Line Defenders, International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) and Humanitarian China.

Professor Siobhán Mullally, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the University of Galway, said: “We are honoured to participate in this project, to honour Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo. Liu Xiaobo’s lifelong commitment to the pursuit of human rights and democracy, and his remarkable courage in the face of adversity, exemplify the values and purpose of the Irish Centre for Human Rights. As a human rights defender, Liu Xiaobo devoted his life to the struggle for freedom and equality, challenging the everyday denials of justice, and abuses of state power. It is fitting that we honour him here today, where students, alumni and staff, commit daily to the pursuit of a more just world.”

Interim President of University of Galway, Professor Peter McHugh, said: “The dedication of the bust of Liu Xiaobo on our University of Galway campus is in keeping with the value which our community places on the pursuit of human rights. It is also symbolic of our efforts to recognise those who have gone before us in this endeavour and I hope it acts as a constant source of inspiration to all those who are engaged with the Irish Centre for Human Rights and our wider student, staff, research and alumni community.”

Fengsuo Zhou of Human Rights in China said: “I had the honour of standing alongside Liu Xiaobo on Tiananmen Square and later sharing prison time with him in high security Qincheng Prison. He passed away while still in incarceration, without ever receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. From the Tiananmen protests to Charter 08, and ultimately to his martyrdom in 2017, he symbolised the peaceful struggle for freedom and democracy in China. We honour his memory by erecting a statue in his name. His legacy continues to inspire us all.”

Bill Shipsey of Art for Human Rights, said: “The Chinese Communist Party has tried to erase Liu Xiaobo’s memory since his death in a military hospital in China in 2017. But his words will outlast those of any autocratic leader and will be remembered and cherished by freedom loving and human rights respecting people everywhere. Say his name ‘Liu Xiaobo’. Art outlasts tyranny.”

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Media queries to pressoffice@universityofgalway.ie

Photos: Credit – Aengus McMahon.