Despite being one of China’s most famous political dissidents, Liu Xiaobo has rarely struck those who know him as a firebrand.
«Going to prison is part of that, and I have nothing to complain about.»
As news spread Monday that Liu Xiaobo had been diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer in prison and granted medical parole, many of his friends and supporters said they feared the 61-year-old activist was close to death and risked being made into a martyr by the Communist authorities.
«Whether it was negligence or political murder, they have committed an unprecedented crime as no other governments of the world have ever seen a Nobel Peace Prize laureate die in their custody, » said Hu Jia, a leading Chinese human rights activist who has known Liu’s wife for years and has served prison terms for his own activism.
Hu added that state security agents blocked him Tuesday from leaving home as he tried to drive to Shenyang in northeastern China, where Liu has been undergoing treatment at a local hospital since late May.
Liu has been allowed to see his wife and some relatives since being granted medical parole, sources close to the Liu family told CNN.
The US government said it was gathering more information on Liu’s medical and legal status.
«We call on the Chinese authorities to not only release Mr. Liu but also allow his wife Ms. Liu Xia out of house arrest, and provide them with the protection and freedoms — such as freedom of movement and access to medical care of his choosing — to which they are entitled under China’s constitution and legal system and international commitments, » a spokeswoman with the US embassy in Beijing said.
«This issue is China’s internal affairs, » Lu Kang, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said Tuesday. «No country has a right to interfere and make irresponsible remarks.»
Nobel winner
Liu was first jailed for his role in the 1989 pro-democracy movement after the bloody crackdown in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square — and later for petitioning for political reform and co-writing a paper on policy toward Taiwan that was at odds with the government stance.
