This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/10/liu-xia-nobel-laureates-widow-allowed-to-leave-china-for-europe

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Liu Xia: Nobel laureate's widow allowed to leave China for Europe Liu Xia: widow of Nobel laureate allowed to leave China for Europe
(about 4 hours later)
Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, has left Beijing after eight years of living under house arrest and days before the anniversary of her husband’s death. Liu Xia, the widow of the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, has left Beijing after almost eight years of living under house arrest and days before the anniversary of her husband’s death.
Amnesty International researcher Patrick Poon, who focuses on China, confirmed Liu’s departure, which was first reported by BBC Chinese. Poon, citing an unnamed source, said Liu had been allowed to leave but her brother, Liu Hui has to remain in Beijing. Human rights activists and friends of Liu confirmed her departure from Beijing on Tuesday. According to Human Rights Watch, the German government negotiated Liu’s release.
Her brother was convicted on fraud charges over a real estate abuse in 2013, a case activists believed was retribution against the family, and a way to pressure Liu Xia. “Ever since her late husband received the Nobel peace prize while in a Chinese prison, Liu Xia was also unjustly detained. The German government deserves credit for its sustained pressure and hard work to gain Liu Xia’s release,” said Sophie Richardson, the China director at Human Rights Watch.
“It’s really wonderful that Liu Xia is finally able to leave China after suffering so much all these years. However, it’s still worrying that her brother Liu Hui is still kept in China. Liu Xia might not be able to speak much for fear of her brother’s safety,” he said. Jared Genser, Liu’s pro-bono counsel, said Liu had left Beijing and would be arriving in Berlin by way of Helsinki. A friend of Liu’s said she would be picked up in Berlin by an exiled Chinese writer, Liao Yiwu.
BBC Chinese, citing unnamed sources, said Liu had left Beijing on a Finnair flight to Germany on Tuesday at around 11am local time. Her brother, Liu Hui, posted on WeChat that his sister had flown to Europe to “start her new life.” He wrote, “I am grateful for people’s concern and assistance these past years.” Chinese authorities have insisted Liu, who was not formally charged with any crime, has been free to move as she wishes, but her supporters say she has been under de-facto house arrest.
Chinese authorities have insisted Liu Xia, who has not been formally charged of any crime, has been free to move as she wishes. She has been under de-facto house arrest since 2010 after her husband, Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel peace prize in absentia for his activism in China. Liu’s husband, Liu Xiaobo, was awarded the Nobel prize in 2010 for his activism in China. He was jailed in 2009 for subversion, for his involvement in Charter 08, a manifesto calling for reforms. He died last year from liver cancer while serving an 11-year prison sentence.
Liu Xiaobo had been jailed in 2009 for subversion, for his involvement in Charter 08, a manifesto calling for reforms. He died last year from liver cancer while serving an 11-year prison sentence. Patrick Poon, a China researcher for Amnesty International, said Liu had been allowed to leave China but her brother, Liu Hui, had to remain in Beijing. He was convicted on fraud charges over a real estate dispute in 2013, a case activists believed to be retribution against the family.
Friends and advocates have been calling for Liu Xia’s release so she can seek medical help for severe depression. In May, Chinese writer Liao Yiwu released a recording of a phone call with Liu where she describes the mental torture of her situation. “If I can’t leave, I’ll die in my home,” she said. “It’s really wonderful that Liu Xia is finally able to leave China after suffering so much all these years,” he said. “However, it’s still worrying that her brother Liu Hui is still kept in China. Liu Xia might not be able to speak much for fear of her brother’s safety.”
Her release comes a day after European and Chinese officials held a human rights dialogue in Beijing. Liu Hui posted on WeChat that his sister had flown to Europe to “start her new life”. He wrote: “I am grateful for people’s concern and assistance these past years.”
“Hopefully she will be able to recuperate and receive much needed medical care, but China is effectively holding her brother hostage so she may not speak out about her ordeal. The Chinese government has already shown its willingness to ruthlessly deploy collective punishment against their family,” said Frances Eve, a researcher at Chinese Human Rights Defenders. The Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, was in Germany on Tuesday on an official visit. At a regular press briefing Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry, said Liu Xia’s travel to Germany for medical treatment was “in accordance with her own will” and had nothing to do with Li’s visit. “This is not a diplomatic issue,” she said.
Friends and advocates had been calling for Liu’s release so she could seek medical help for severe depression. In May the Chinese writer Liao released a recording of a phone call in which Liu described the mental torture of her situation. “If I can’t leave, I’ll die in my home,” she said.
One of the last times she was seen in public was in July last year, when she scattered the ashes of her late husband at sea. While under house arrest, both of her parents died and she has been hospitalised at least twice for a heart condition.
Frances Eve, a researcher at Chinese Human Rights Defenders, said: “Hopefully she will be able to recuperate and receive much needed medical care, but China is effectively holding her brother hostage so she may not speak out about her ordeal. The Chinese government has already shown its willingness to ruthlessly deploy collective punishment against their family.”
Liu XiaoboLiu Xiaobo
ChinaChina
Asia PacificAsia Pacific
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content