European diplomats barred from visiting widow of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, sources say
Authorities said to have stopped five envoys from seeing Liu Xia, who has been under house arrest since her husband was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2010
Chinese authorities have barred five European diplomats from visiting the widow of the late Nobel laureate dissident Liu Xiaobo, diplomatic sources said on Sunday.
Liu Xia, 57, has been under de facto house arrest despite facing no charges ever since her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, a recognition that deeply angered the communist regime.
Liu Xiaobo died of cancer last year while still in prison after being convicted of “subversion”, making him the first Nobel laureate to die in custody since the era of Nazi Germany.
The diplomats’ visit came following increased concern in recent days about Liu Xia’s psychological health.
The envoys, including a French and a German envoy, tried to visit her home on Friday morning but were turned away by officials at the gate to the complex, the sources said.
The guards checked the diplomats’ identities before refusing them entry without giving a reason.