Havel calls on Chinese government to end persecution of dissidents

The former Czech president Václav Havel has called on the Chinese government to end its persecution of dissidents and enter into a dialogue with Charter 08 signatories. In a piece for the Wall Street Journal, the former Czech dissident-turned-president said the Chinese government should learn the lessons of the Charter 77 movement: that intimidation, propaganda campaigns and repression are no substitute for dialogue. Charter 08 is a document issued by the Chinese opposition calling for basic rights, judicial independence and democracy. In the course of the past month it was signed by 5,000 Chinese dissidents.