After a unanimous decision by the jury that Ni Yulan should be receiving the award, they informed Minister of Foreign Affairs Uri Rosenthal about their decision.
Soon after, the Chinese Embassy in The Netherlands contacted the jury, offering ‘their help’ in making the right decision.
The jury then started to wonder who had informed the Chinese Embassy about their decision. That’s when ‘a Minister’ contacted the jury asking ‘whether they had another candidate available’. The jury does not want to disclose the exact name of the Dutch Minister.
But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not leave it at that. They also postponed the award ceremony allegedly because ‘they feared for the wellbeing of Ni Yulan’ in China.
To one member of the jury, Victor Scheffers, it’s clear that Rosenthal’s actions and those of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were meant to limit the potential damage to the economic relationships between China and The Netherlands.
Dutch language news article:
http://www.nu.nl/politiek/2736196/minister-wilde-staatsprijs-mensenrechten-beinvloeden.html
Previously:
Dutch Minister of Foreign affairs starts Facebook petition to support (foreign) cyber activists
http://vrritti.com/2011/12/07/dutch-minister-of-foreign-affairs-starts-facebook-petition-to-support-foreign-cyber-activists/
Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Uri Rosenthal makes plea for global internet freedom
http://vrritti.com/2011/05/25/dutch-minister-of-foreign-affairs-uri-rosenthal-makes-plea-for-global-internet-freedom/
