April 27 to June 4, 1989

Returned from Columbia University, where he was a visiting scholar, to Beijing to participate in the 1989 Democracy Movement, including the hunger strike

June 6, 1989 to January 1991

Detained at Qincheng Prison in Beijing on charges of “counterrevolution”

September 1989

Fired from his teaching position at Beijing Normal University

January 26, 1991

Found guilty by Beijing Municipal Intermediate People’s Court of “counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement”; no criminal punishment imposed

January 1991 to May 2005

Worked as a freelance writer and participated in rights defense activities

May 18, 1995 to January 1996

Placed under house arrest at an unknown location in Beijing by the Beijing Public Security Bureau for publishing articles, participating in rights defense activities, and advocating for an official reassessment of the government crackdown on the 1989 Democracy Movement

October 8, 1996 to October 7, 1999

Ordered by the Committee for the Management of Reeducation-Through-Labor of the Beijing Municipal People’s Government to serve three years of Reeducation-Through-Labor for “disturbing social order”

October 7, 1999 to December 8, 2008

Published numerous articles that were critical of the Chinese government, called for reforms, and raised human rights issues

December 8, 2008

Taken away from his Beijing home and detained by the Beijing Public Security Bureau

December 9, 2008 to June 23, 2009

Put under residential surveillance in an unknown location in Beijing by the Beijing Public Security Bureau without notice to his family or access to his lawyers or family members

June 8, 2009

Wife Liu Xia notified by a Beijing Public Security Bureau officer that Liu’s residential surveillance had been extended

June 23, 2009

Formally arrested on charges of “inciting subversion of state power”

December 8, 2009

Liu’s lawyers notified that the investigation was complete and that the Beijing Public Security Bureau had transferred Liu’s case to the Beijing Municipal People’s Procuratorate for review on December 1, 2009

December 10, 2009

Beijing Municipal People’s Procuratorate Branch No. 1 submitted the case and indictment to the Beijing Municipal No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court 

December 23, 2009

Tried by the Beijing Municipal No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court

December 25, 2009

Found guilty of “inciting subversion of state power” and sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment and two years’ deprivation of political rights by the Beijing Municipal No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court

December 29, 2009

Filed notice of appeal with the Beijing Municipal High People’s Court

February 9, 2010

Appeal overruled and original verdict upheld by the Beijing Municipal High People’s Court