Home GRASP/China China says Nobel-winning dissident Liu Xiaobo in 'critical condition'

China says Nobel-winning dissident Liu Xiaobo in 'critical condition'

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Chinese doctors on Monday declared terminally ill dissident Liu Xiaobo in « critical condition. »
« The doctors suggested close monitoring of the patient’s blood pressure, correction of low blood pressure level, active anti-infection therapy and blood purification,  » the statement said, adding that Liu’s family has been informed of the team’s opinion.
The two Western doctors who visited Liu on Saturday afternoon said earlier that he and his family had requested that the remainder of his care be provided in Germany or the United States.
« While a degree of risk always exists in the movement of any patient, both physicians believe Mr. Liu can be safely transported with appropriate medical evacuation care and support,  » said Dr. Joseph M. Herman of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Dr. Markus Büchler of the University of Heidelberg, in a joint statement Sunday.
« However, the medical evacuation would have to take place as quickly as possible. »
A spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the case is « of great importance to the chancellor and that she would hope for a sign of humanity for Liu Xiaobo and his family. »
« This has always been a case which we have been following with great human sympathy,  » the spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said.
Amid growing international concern over Liu’s health, a Chinese vice minister of justice met with representatives from the US, German and EU embassies in late June to brief them about his case and told diplomats Liu was too sick to travel abroad, according to a source familiar with the meeting.
A few days after the meeting, however, the authorities said they had approved the family’s request to invite Western doctors to join Liu’s medical team at a hospital in Shenyang in northeastern China.
‘Politicized’ statement
Before the hospital issued its latest statement, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman on Monday repeatedly declined to say if Beijing would allow Liu to leave the country.
« We hope relevant countries will respect China’s judicial sovereignty and not use a so-called individual case to interfere in China’s internal affairs,  » said Geng Shuang at a regular press briefing.

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