A group of democracy and human-rights organizations unveiled a plan on Tuesday to install a bronze sculpture of an empty chair in Toronto, in memory of late Chinese writer and activist Liu Xiaobo.

A long-time, fierce critic of the Chinese government on issues of freedom and democracy, Liu died of liver cancer last year while serving an 11-year prison sentence. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China,” according to the Nobel committee.

But the government of China refused to grant Liu permission to travel for the ceremony in Oslo The Nobel Prize committee symbolically placed his award on an empty chair in a bold statement about his absence.

“We want to memorialize him the best way we can,” said Cheuk Kwan, spokesperson for the Toronto Association for Democracy in China. The group is one of the organizations working to raise at least $50,000 for the production and installation of the chair sculpture.

Renowned Canadian sculptor Ruth Abernethy will work on the project. Her other works include the Glenn Gould statue at the CBC building in Toronto and the Oscar Peterson sculpture at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

The plan, according to Kwan, is to have the installation ready in time for next year’s 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. There’s no word yet about where exactly the chair will be installed, but Kwan said it will be in a public space like a park or city square.

Liu became famous for his literary critiques against the Chinese government in the 1980s, when he was a visiting scholar at various universities across the world. He returned to China to support the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, and was imprisoned several times for his participation in movements for democracy and human rights.

Kwan, who was living in Hong Kong during the time of Tiananmen Square massacre, followed Liu’s activism and was inspired by his tireless efforts to always stand up for what is right, regardless of the challenges.

“This is transcendent. It’s not just a Chinese human rights struggle. It’s a universal struggle,” he said.

Amnesty International Canada’s secretary general Alex Neve said Liu’s legacy is to remind people of their responsibility to confront injustice and be courageous while doing so.

“That the Chinese government refused to release him, even as he was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize and even as he was in the final weeks of his life, is illustrative of how deeply entrenched contempt for human rights is in China,” he wrote in a statement.

“This tribute to a remarkable man, and through him, to the precious importance of our shared universal human rights, is fitting, timely and deeply moving.”

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