Our Stellar Spirit Award is conferred upon husband and wife activists Hu Jia and Zeng Jinyan, who defened the both weakest members of Chinese society and freedom of speech, placing their principles before their own personal freedom.

Hu Jia, dissident and human rights activist, has been held in the so-called "black prisons" and charged with "inciting subversion of state power," for having written an Open Letter to the International Community aimed at calling the attention of the world to China's human rights record in the Olympic year.

"When you come to the Olympic Games in Beijing, you will see skyscrapers, spacious streets, modern stadiums and enthusiastic people. You will see the truth, but not the whole truth, just as you see only the tip of an iceberg. You may not know that the flowers, smiles, harmony and prosperity are built on a base of grievances, tears, imprisonment, torture and blood."

"It is ironic that one of the people in charge of organizing the Olympic Games is the head of the Bureau of Public Security, which is responsible for so many human rights violations. It is very serious that the official promises are not being kept before the games."

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