Liu was imprisoned for 11 years on Christmas Day 2009 for his role in drafting Charter 08, a direct appeal to the Chinese government for political reform, including human rights, freedom of speech, and free elections.

Participants in the rally organised by more than a dozen human rights groups sang human rights songs and heard recitations of poems composed by Liu, 54, an internationally renowned intellectual and writer.

“I am here today because I don’t think that Liu should be imprisoned for speaking freely,” Kuen Liu, a 70-year-old retiree said.

Jean-Phillippe, a 60-year-old political scientist, took part in the protest to show his support for Liu. “It is very important that the public opinion is mobilised. In this part Hong Kong plays a very important role,” he said.

The motion debate the following day calling for Lui’s release was defeated. Pro-democracy lawmakers are outnumbered in Hong Kong’s Legislative Council.

“Hong Kong’s legislature is able to debate an otherwise taboo subject because the former British colony is ruled by China under a separate political system that promises Western-style civil liberties,” the Taiwanese newspaper, China Post, said.