China dissident Hu Jia kept at home on UN Human Rights Day

Chinese police barred prominent dissident Hu Jia from leaving home on Monday after he proposed marking UN Human Rights Day near the home of a jailed Nobel laureate’s wife, who is herself under house arrest.

Authorities have detained Liu Xia at home without charge since her husband Liu Xiaobo – the co-author of a human rights petition – won the 2010 peace prize. He was convicted in 2009 of inciting subversion and sentenced to 11 years in jail.

December 10 marks the day the Charter 08 petition was signed and the day Liu should have received his Nobel award.

Hu had posted a note on Twitter on Friday suggesting that a park near Liu Xia’s home would “be a good place to hold a human rights press conference” to mark the date.

But on Monday he told reporters: “The police are keeping me in my home until Tuesday to prevent me from meeting with people like you so that I will not be photographed or filmed for Human Rights Day.”

Hu served three years in jail starting in 2008 after years of campaigning for civil rights, the environment and Aids patients, and has remained under surveillance since being released.

Liu is one of three people to have won the Nobel award while jailed by their government, and his imprisonment elicited international condemnation.