China could force Nobel award to be postponed

China may have exacted a small measure of revenge on the Nobel committee who bestowed this year's Peace Prize on jailed human rights campaigner Liu Xiaobo, by preventing any of his family from attending the award ceremony in Norway. It means that the prize cannot be awarded for the first time in 109 years.

Beijing was incensed by the decision to give the prize to Xiaobo, who is currently in jail, and threatened "consequences" for Norway, but so far those most affected by the government's rage have been Xiaobo's wife Liu Xia, who has been placed under house arrest, and his three brothers who are now under constant surveillance by the authorities.

The best known of Xiaobo's brothers, Liu Xiaoxuan, had indicated that he would represent his brother at the ceremony in Oslo next month, but this week sent a text message to a journalist which said: "I am being monitored, cannot take interviews, can only keep silent." And the organisers now say it is unlikely that anyone will be there to collect the award on behalf of Xiaobo.

According to the Nobel Prize rules, the 10m kronor (£880,000) prize can only be presented to the laureate or a close family member. If none of Xiaobo's family can attend the ceremony then the presentation will be postponed and the prize will not be awarded.

Nobel Institute director Geir Lundestad said: "The way it looks now, it is not likely that someone from his close family will attend... [and] we will not give out the medal and the diploma during the ceremony."

But he added: "If someone shows up at the last minute, it will not be a problem to change plans."

China is also said to be pressuring other countries into boycotting the ceremony on December 10, and so far six countries have turned down invitations for their ambassadors.

Russia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Morocco and Iraq have said they will not attend the event, which will be co-hosted by actors Anne Hathaway and Denzel Washington and feature performances by Barry Manilow, Jamiroquai and others.

The Nobel committee's chairman, Thorbjoern Jagland, said that although there would be no presentation if Xiaobo's family were unable to attend, "he will be present during the ceremony by a reading of his text".

Even during the Cold War the award was presented, although sometimes not to the winner in person. In 1975, when Soviet physicist and human rights advocate Andrei Sakharov won the award, he was not allowed to leave the USSR but his wife attended the ceremony.

In 1983, Lech Walesa's wife accepted the prize on the Polish union leader's behalf. And in 1991 the son of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was on hand to make the acceptance speech as she was being held under house arrest. ·