Taiwanese Animators Release 'Serious Video' About Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo is set to be awarded a 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, but won't be able to attend his own award ceremony. Instead of traveling to Oslo, Liu will spend another day in a Chinese jail where he is serving out an 11-year sentence for "inciting subversion of state power" for promoting democracy and human rights in China.

NMA, the Taiwanese animators best known for cartoons spoofs of Sarah Palin, Christine O'Donnell and Barack Obama, has released a "serious video" about Liu and his work in promoting democracy. Though the video lacks dialogue, Liu's story speaks for itself:

According to news reports, more than a dozen Chinese-allied countries have turned down invitations to send delegates to the upcoming Dec. 10 award ceremony, including Russia, Pakistan, Cuba, Venezuela, Iraq and Afghanistan.

In addition, allies of Liu are reportedly being prevented from traveling from China to accept the award on his behalf.  By the end of last month, only one of about 140 invited Chinese activists had confirmed he would attend the ceremony in Oslo.  The Associated Press reported that others "have been stopped from leaving China or placed under tight surveillance amid a crackdown on dissenters following the prize announcement."