• The death last week of Liu Xiaobo, the imprisoned Nobel Peace laureate, has dealt a blow to the pro-democracy movement in China. Some say it is now at its weakest point since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.

The dearth of foreign leaders willing to publicly criticize Beijing — particularly from the U.S. — has added to a sense of despair among activists.

Friends and family of Lee Ming-cheh, a rights advocate from Taiwan who disappeared into mainland custody in March, see parallels between him and Mr. Liu.

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