Nobel Peace Prize for Hu Jia and Zeng Jinyan?

Jailed Chinese activist Hu Jia and his wife, Zeng Jinyan, have made the early list of favorites for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. From the Associated Press:

(OSLO, Norway) — The annual guessing game about who will get the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize focused this year on a possible human rights rebuke for China.

Experts said the coveted prize could also be used to chastise Russia or Vietnam when it is announced Oct. 10.

"I think there is a big chance for it be a human rights prize," said peace researcher Stein Toennesson, who sent out his list of possible winners Wednesday.

He thought the prize could go to Chinese activist Hu Jia, possibly together with his wife Zeng Jinyan, and if not, then to Vietnamese monk Thich Quang Do or to Russian human rights lawyer Lidia Yusupova.

It's worth noting that the early Nobel speculation is frequently off. But this does say something about attitudes towards China. If Hu and Zeng were to win, it would be more a statement about China's policies than about what the young couple has been able to accomplish. And after a largely successful Olympics, it would be a very public denunciation of Beijing's attitude toward dissent and free speech. Maybe it's time to re-open the protest zones.