Last December, I sat in the front row of the audience assembled at Oslo City Hall, watching Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize being presented to an empty chair. His imprisonment brought global attention - for a moment - to Chinese people's demands for fundamental rights. But, after the speeches and celebration ended, the headlines shifted.
The international community's need to engage China on human rights has never been greater. In separate judgments released this week, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has found that China is flagrantly violating international law by detaining Liu and his wife, Liu Xia.
The UN working group, which is made up of human rights experts and considers individual cases of arbitrary detention, found that Liu Xiaobo's imprisonment and Liu Xia's house arrest violate international human rights standards.
In finding that China had infringed Liu Xiaobo's right to freedom of expression, the group said it had 'not shown in this case a justification for the interference with his political free speech'.
The group also found that Liu Xia's illegal house arrest had no justification and that China had violated her right to freedom of expression and due process under law. It concluded with a stern demand: 'Liu Xia's house arrest is to end immediately.'
These UN opinions are unlikely to yield the Lius' immediate release, but their value should not be underestimated. China regularly asserts that it adheres to the rule of law - claims that have now been put to the test and unanimously rejected.