Afraid of its own people

OSLO, Norway – China and 18 other countries have declined to attend this year's Nobel Peace Prize ceremony honoring imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, Nobel officials said Tuesday as China unleashed a new barrage deriding the decision.

Beijing considers Liu's recognition an attack on China's political and legal system,

Liu, 54, is serving an 11-year sentence on subversion charges brought after he co-authored a bold call for sweeping changes to China's one-party communist political system known as Charter 08.

Countries that have turned down an invitation to Friday's ceremony include Pakistan,

But at least 44 of the 65 embassies that were invited have accepted the invitation, the prize committee said.

Lundestad declined comment on the Chinese criticism but described this year's prize as "big and important" — like previous awards in which laureates were prevented from coming.

"It reflects on the despotic regimes," he said and where goverments are afraid of their own people and china is supposed to be a leader among nations at the UN and part of the security council

An empty chair will symbolize that both Liu and his family have been prevented by the Chinese regime from receiving the prize. "The empty chair will be the strongest argument for this year's prize," Lundestad said.

It is not unusual for some countries to skip the ceremony for various reasons. In 2008, when former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the peace prize, 10 embassies did not attend.