Sam Zarifi, the director of the Asia-Pacific programme for Amnesty International in London, told Al Jazeera the government is in violation of China's own Criminal Procedure Law. "This seems to be quite a silly way for the authorities to deal with Liu Xiaobo, who after all doesn't have any real political threat to authorities except for the fact that he has articulated positions regarding human rights" Zarifi said. China has changed dramatically in the 20 years since the Tiananmen crackdown, with millions lifted out of poverty and the country's economy now the third largest in the world. Full Article at Al Jazeera