China’s best-known political prisoner, the civil rights campaigner and Nobel peace prize winner Liu Xiaobo, has been released on medical parole after he was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.

Liu, 61, is in the late stages of the disease, said Mo Shaoping, his lawyer, who has been in contact with Liu’s family. Liu is being treated at a hospital in the north-eastern city of Shenyang, near where he was being held. Another of Liu’s lawyers, Shang Baojun, said he was diagnosed in May.

“This type of late-stage cancer is very difficult to treat, it would have been easier if it was discovered sooner,” Shang said. “It’s extremely serious.”

Liu was arrested in 2008 after penning a pro-democracy manifesto called Charter 08, where he called for an end to one-party rule and improvements in human rights. Following a year in detention and a two-hour trial, he was sentenced in December 2009 to 11 years in prison for inciting subversion of state power.

Little has been heard from him since. When he was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2010 he was represented by an empty chair.

Liu Xia, his wife, has been under house arrest since her husband won and has reportedly suffered from depression due to her isolation. She has not been formally charged with a crime despite her nearly seven years in detention. Liu Xia may not know her husband is sick, Mo said, as he has been unable to contact her.

A literary critic and scholar, Liu was previously jailed for two years in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests and subsequent massacre.



“Adding injury to insult, Liu Xiaobo has been diagnosed with a grave illness in prison, where he should never have been put in the first place,” said Patrick Poon, a researcher at Amnesty International in Hong Kong.

“The Chinese authorities should immediately ensure that Liu Xiaobo receives adequate medical care, effective access to his family and that he and all others imprisoned solely for exercising their human rights are immediately and unconditionally released.”

“The authorities should immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on his wife Liu Xia and let the two reunite as soon as possible,” Poon added.



The Shanghai-based legal scholar and human rights activist Zhang Xuezhong told Associated Press that Liu and has family had made a “tremendous sacrifice” for the cause of freedom and democracy in China.

“This is unfortunate news for him and his family, and it’s a blow to China’s democracy movement, as so many people have placed hope in him, and rightfully so,” Zhang said. “His life is so important that I think he should get the best possible treatment with full knowledge of his family, even if it means some compromises [with the government],” he added.

Liu’s brother-in-law was jailed in 2013 for fraud over a property dispute, but his lawyers claimed the case was politically motivated.

The Norwegian Nobel committee awarded Liu the peace prize for “his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”.



“Through the severe punishment meted out to him, Liu has become the foremost symbol of this wide-ranging struggle for human rights in China,” the committee said in 2010.

'Your Lifelong Prisoner' – Liu Xiaobo's poem from prison Read more

The prize infuriated the Chinese government and relations with Norway quickly deteriorated. Normal relations were only restored in December 2016, when the country said it “attaches high importance to China’s core interests and major concerns, will not support actions that undermine them, and will do its best to avoid any future damage to the bilateral relations”.

In 2015 the writers’ campaign group PEN International released a statement saying that it stood in “continued solidarity” with Liu, who was president of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre, and Liu Xia. The statement was signed by a number of high-profile writers, including Margaret Atwood and Ian Rankin.

Last year, in an effort to draw attention to his case, the US Senate voted to rename the street address used by the Chinese embassy in Washington to Liu Xiaobo Plaza, but the bill was vetoed by Barack Obama.

More than 1,400 political dissidents are detained in China, according to a US congressional database, but the number is probably even higher as information about topics deemed sensitive by the ruling Communist party is heavily censored.

Since coming to power in 2012, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has overseen a wide-ranging crackdown on civil society, including arresting feminist activists, human rights lawyers and book publishers.</s>Lawyer says jailed Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo on medical parole after diagnosis of terminal liver cancer.</s>Jailed Chinese Nobel Peace laureate and dissident Liu Xiaobo has been released on medical parole after being diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer, his lawyer said Monday. Liu was in stable condition at the China Medical University No. 1 Affiliated Hospital in the northeastern city of Shenyang, his lawyer Mo Shaoping told The Associated Press. Liu was diagnosed on May 23, Mo said. It was not immediately clear if Liu was being allowed visitations.

Liu, China’s best-known political prisoner, was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted of inciting state subversion in 2009 for writing and disseminating Charter `08, a document calling for democracy. The following year, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize by the Norway-based Nobel committee, a move that has greatly angered the Chinese government. In April, Beijing normalized its relations with Oslo after a six-year hiatus.

The news of Liu’s diagnosis shocked and saddened fellow human rights activists in China.“It’s known that Liu Xiaobo and his family have made a tremendous sacrifice for the cause of freedom and democracy for China,” said Shanghai-based legal scholar and human rights activist Zhang Xuezhong. “This is unfortunate news for him and his family, and it’s a blow to China’s democracy movement, as so many people have placed hope in him, and rightfully so.”

Without further information on Liu’s medical condition, Zhang said that no effort should be spared to treat Liu, and that his family must be fully informed of his treatment plans. “His life is so important that I think he should get the best possible treatment with full knowledge of his family, even if it means some compromises” with the government, Zhang said. Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said he was not aware of the latest development in Liu’s case.</s>Chinese political prisoner and Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo has been released from jail on medical parole after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. Mo Shaoping, Liu’s lawyer, said that the human rights campaigner is in the late stages of the disease. He is being treated at a hospital in the north-eastern city of Shenyang, near where he was being held.

Liu was arrested in 2008 after writing a pro-democracy manifesto called Charter 08, where he called for an end to one-party rule in China and improvements in the human rights situation. After detention and a trial that lasted two hours, he was sentenced to 11 years in jail. He was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, where his presence was represented by an empty chair at the ceremony. The prize infuriated China, which then froze relations with Norway, and restored them only in December 2016.

Meanwhile, Liu’s wife Liu Xia has been under house arrest ever since he won the Peace Prize, and his lawyer said she may not know about his release and hospitalisation. Liu had previously been jailed for two years in the wake of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and the subsequent massacre.

Liu’s brother-in-law was jailed in 2013 for fraud over a property dispute, but his lawyers said the case was politically motivated, The Guardian reported.

Amnesty International has asked Chinese authorities to ensure adequate medical care for Liu, granting him access to his family and immediate release of Liu and his family members from imprisonment. More than 1,400 political dissidents are detained in China, according to a US congressional database.</s>Jailed Chinese Nobel Peace laureate and dissident Liu Xiaobo has been released on medical parole after his May 23 diagnosis of late-stage liver cancer.

Liu's lawyer Mo Shaoping told The Associated Press on Monday that Liu was being treated and was in stable condition at China Medical University No. 1 Affiliated Hospital in the northeastern city of Shenyang.</s>China's only Nobel Peace Prize winner and famed dissident Liu Xiaobo has been released from prison on medical grounds to treat his liver cancer, his lawyer has revealed.

Mr Liu, 61, who participated in the 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square demonstrations, became the first citizen of the People's Republic of China to win the Nobel Prize in 2010 for advocating greater freedoms in his country – and is the only laureate currently serving a prison sentence.

He was arrested in 2008 and subsequently sentenced to 11 years in prison for “inciting subversion of state power” and has been held incommunicado since – in hopes of erasing any memory of him say colleagues and rights activists.

“Liu was diagnosed with liver cancer on 23 May, and the parole application was approved last week,” said his lawyer, Mo Shaoping. “He is now in a hospital in Shenyang. Some family members have already visited him.”

Many, however, weren't even aware he was sick.

“We are shocked and devastated to learn that our dear friend and mentor Liu Xiaobo, China's jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been suffering from cancer in China's brutal prison environment,” said a statement by Wuer Kaixi and Wang Dan, former student leaders from 1989 and his friends.

“Liu Xiaobo was an important partner in our democratic movement of 1989. He was – and continues to be – our personal mentor. We are convinced that his strength and optimism will make it possible for him to overcome the disease.”

Back in 2010 when he won the Nobel Prize while in prison, his family was prevented from travelling to Norway to accept the award. His wife Liu Xia has also been under house arrest since then. The award was presented to an empty chair, which later became a symbol of China's repression.

“Adding injury to insult, Liu Xiaobo has been diagnosed with a grave illness in prison, where he should never have been put in the first place,” said William Nee, China researcher for Amnesty International.

“The Chinese authorities should immediately ensure that Liu Xiaobo receives adequate medical care, effective access to his family and that he and all others imprisoned solely for exercising their human rights are immediately and unconditionally released.”

Mr Liu was arrested in 2008 for his role in the writing of Charter 08, a manifesto calling for China's democratic transition that was signed by thousands of people inside the country.

His publications have since been banned in China.

When the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded him the prize in 2010, they cited his “his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”.

Beijing condemned the award and relations with Norway suffered for years.

“That he was ever in prison at all says all one needs to know about Chinese leaders' profound hostility toward peaceful expression and the rule of law,” said Sophie Richards, China director at Human Rights Watch.

“It appears highly unlikely that his release will equal real freedom – for him, or for all others who simply seek peaceful, positive change in China.”</s>BEIJING: China 's jailed Nobel peace prize laureate Liu Xiaobo was granted medical parole after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer last month, his lawyer told AFP on Monday."He's now being treated at a hospital in Shenyang (in northeast Liaoning province). He has no special plans. He is just receiving medical treatment for his illness," lawyer Mo Shaoping said, adding that he was diagnosed on May 23 and released days later.</s>Chinese authorities have granted dissident Liu Xiaobo medical parole, freeing the Nobel Peace Prize winner from prison because he has terminal liver cancer. Liu, 61, is being allowed to seek treatment in a hospital outside of prison.

"According to his lawyer, Liu was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer while in prison last month," NPR's Rob Schmitz reports from Hong Kong. "[He] is being treated at a hospital in the northeastern city of Shenyang."

Liu is more than halfway through the 11-year sentence he received in 2009 for what the government called "incitement to subvert state power." His main infraction was helping to write a six-page manifesto titled Charter 08, which called for an end to one-party rule in China along with direct elections and the separation of powers. The document states, for instance, "Public institutions should be used for the public."

A veteran activist and academic, Liu traveled from the U.S. to participate in the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 — and in 2010, when he won the Nobel Peace Prize, he dedicated the award to those who died in the protests.

At the Nobel Prize ceremony in Oslo that year, Liu was represented by a chair on stage that sat empty.

Liu's wife, Liu Xia, has been under house arrest since the weekend he won the Nobel Prize, confined to her apartment in Beijing immediately after her return from visiting her husband in prison to discuss the honor. She's been largely isolated since then, with the government tightly controlling her interactions with friends.

In a statement about Liu's medical parole, Amnesty International says, "It adds insult to injury that Liu Xiaobo, who should never have been put in prison in the first place, has been diagnosed with a grave illness."

The aid group calls for the government to ensure Liu has proper medical care, access to his family — and that he and other rights activists are released.

Amnesty adds, "The authorities must also stop their shameful and illegal house arrest of Liu Xiaobo's wife, Liu Xia, and ensure that she is able to receive visitors, travel freely and reunite with Liu Xiaobo."</s>Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winning rights activist Liu Xiaobo is being treated for late-stage liver cancer in a hospital in the city of Shenyang, Amnesty International said in a Tweet on Monday.

BEIJING: Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winning rights activist Liu Xiaobo is being treated for late-stage liver cancer in a hospital in the city of Shenyang, Amnesty International said in a Tweet on Monday.

Liu, 61, was jailed for 11 years in 2009 for "inciting subversion of state power" after he helped write a petition known as "Charter 08" calling for sweeping political reforms in China.

In December 2010, Liu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his activism promoting human rights in China, causing China to freeze diplomatic ties with Norway.</s>Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been released on medical parole. Here’s everything you need to know.

Who is Liu and why was he jailed?

Liu, 61, has worked as a literary critic and university lecturer in Beijing and was involved in the 1989 student protests in Tiananmen Square. As a result, he was imprisoned for two years, and later he served three years in a labour camp for criticising China’s one-party system.

According to his biography on the Nobel Prize website: “For over 20 years, Liu has fought for a more open and democratic China.”

In 2008, he was arrested after co-authoring Charta 08: “A manifesto which advocates the gradual shifting of China’s political and legal system in the direction of democracy.”

In 2009 he was sentenced to 11 years in jail for engaging in activities designed to overthrow the government.

What about his Nobel Peace Prize?

In 2010 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize – a move that greatly angered the Chinese government. It made him the first Chinese citizen to be awarded a Nobel Prize whilst living in China.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said he was awarded the prize “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”.

The Committee released a statement yesterday celebrating his release but expressing regret that it took illness for him to be freed. They wrote: “He was, essentially, convicted for exercising his freedom of speech and should never have been sentenced to jail in the first place.

“Finally, the Committee would like to confirm its standing invitation to Liu Xiaobo to come to Oslo and receive the Committee’s tribute.”

Why has he been granted medical parole?

On May 23 Liu was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer.

Liu’s lawyer Mo Shaoping said Liu is being treated and is in a stable condition at China Medical University No 1 Affiliated Hospital in the north-eastern city of Shenyang.

It is not known if Liu is being allowed visitors.
Chinese political activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo is released from prison on medical parole after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.