Freedom for detained dissident’s widow Liu Xia after long battle with China
Poet and artist had been under house arrest since 2010, when her husband Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize – though she was never charged
After spending much of the past eight years imprisoned in her own home, Liu Xia, widow of China’s most prominent dissident Liu Xiaobo, was finally freed on Tuesday and is on her way to Germany.
The 57-year-old poet, painter and photographer had been under house arrest since 2010, when her husband Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while in prison. Liu Xia has never been charged with any crime.
She was reunited with Liu Xiaobo in late June last year at a Shenyang hospital after the pro-democracy campaigner was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and released from jail on medical parole. He knew he may not have long to live, but friends at the time said Liu Xiaobo wanted to leave China for treatment, and for his wife to go with him. Chinese doctors said he was unfit for travel, and he died on July 13 aged 61.
A petite woman with a shaved head and glasses, Liu Xia has been seen as “the most important link” between Liu Xiaobo and the outside world. Beijing has continued to keep her and her brother Liu Hui under tight control since the dissident’s death, despite constant lobbying from foreign governments and human rights groups to set her free. The Chinese authorities have maintained that she has the same rights as all Chinese citizens.
After Liu Xiaobo’s funeral in July last year, his widow did not return to her home in Beijing until September, as calls grew from the international community and supporters for her release.