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Liu Xiaobo's widow Liu Xia makes first appearance since funeral | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
The widow of Chinese activist and Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo has appeared in an online video - her first appearance since her husband's death. | |
Liu Xia, who has been under house arrest for several years, had not been seen since the funeral. | Liu Xia, who has been under house arrest for several years, had not been seen since the funeral. |
In the short video, she said she needed more time to mourn. Friends say they have not been able to reach her. | In the short video, she said she needed more time to mourn. Friends say they have not been able to reach her. |
She has been under guard since 2010, but has never been charged with a crime. | She has been under guard since 2010, but has never been charged with a crime. |
Seen in the video holding a cigarette and sitting in a living-room style area, Liu Xia tells the camera that she is recovering from her husband's death and will "readjust" in time. | Seen in the video holding a cigarette and sitting in a living-room style area, Liu Xia tells the camera that she is recovering from her husband's death and will "readjust" in time. |
It is not clear who made the recording or where it was set, leading to speculation that it may have been made under duress. | It is not clear who made the recording or where it was set, leading to speculation that it may have been made under duress. |
"It is certain that she was forced by the authorities to make this video," a friend told AFP news agency. | "It is certain that she was forced by the authorities to make this video," a friend told AFP news agency. |
"How can anyone who does not even enjoy freedom express her will freely?" | "How can anyone who does not even enjoy freedom express her will freely?" |
Chinese officials say that Liu Xia is a free Chinese citizen and is simply grieving in private. | Chinese officials say that Liu Xia is a free Chinese citizen and is simply grieving in private. |
But after the funeral, a lawyer who had worked for Mr Liu said Liu Xia was being held "incommunicado" and needed to be rescued. | But after the funeral, a lawyer who had worked for Mr Liu said Liu Xia was being held "incommunicado" and needed to be rescued. |
A week before the video's release, Amnesty International renewed its call for her freedom. | A week before the video's release, Amnesty International renewed its call for her freedom. |
Liu Xia is said to be suffering from depression after spending years under heavy surveillance. | Liu Xia is said to be suffering from depression after spending years under heavy surveillance. |
Her late husband, Liu Xiaobo, was one of China's foremost pro-democracy campaigners and a fierce critic of the state, seen by authorities as a dissident. | |
He was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2010, while imprisoned, with the Nobel committee declaring him "the foremost symbol of [a] wide-ranging struggle for human rights in China." | He was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2010, while imprisoned, with the Nobel committee declaring him "the foremost symbol of [a] wide-ranging struggle for human rights in China." |
He married Liu Xia, a poet from a privileged background, in 1996, but their marriage was frequently interrupted by his repeated incarceration. | He married Liu Xia, a poet from a privileged background, in 1996, but their marriage was frequently interrupted by his repeated incarceration. |