US calls for release of Chinese dissident

The United States urged the immediate release of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, saying he may have been harassed and detained for exercising his right to freedom of expression.

"The US government is concerned that Chinese citizens such as Mr Liu may have been detained or harassed solely as a result of having exercised a universal right to freedom of expression," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said.

"We urge the government of China to release Liu Xiaobo immediately and to respect the rights of all Chinese citizens to peacefully express their desire for internationally recognised freedoms," he told reporters.

That includes "the right to petition one's government," Kelly said.

The dissident's family and a rights group said Saturday that Liu, one year after he was detained in the wake of signing a pro-democracy charter, had been formally indicted for subversion.

The 53-year-old writer, who was involved in the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy protests, was arrested last December after signing Charter 08, a widely circulated petition that called for greater democracy in China. (AFP)