Image copyright Reuters Image caption A smiling Liu Xia is seen arriving in Helsinki en route to Berlin

The widow of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo has left China for Germany after eight years in unofficial detention.

Liu Xia, 57, left Beijing early on Tuesday and flew to Berlin.

She had been under effective house arrest in the Chinese capital since her husband won the prize in 2010.

Liu Xiaobo, a university professor turned human rights campaigner, was jailed in 2009 for inciting subversion. He died of liver cancer last year.

Liu Xia, a poet, is said to have suffered from depression after spending years under heavy surveillance.

She has never been charged with any crime but said in May she was ready to die in protest at her continued detention.

A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman confirmed her departure - "for medical treatment, in accordance with her own will" - but said it had nothing to do with this week's visit to Germany by China's Premier Li Keqiang.

Photos later showed her smiling on arrival in Helsinki en route to the German capital.

Sustained diplomacy led to release

Stephen McDonell, BBC News, Beijing

Even under effective house arrest and in declining health, Liu Xia was a threat to the Chinese Communist Party. As the widow of a Nobel Peace Prize winner who'd died in Chinese custody, the authorities here feared that the poet would speak out.

Image copyright Handout/AFP Image caption Liu Xia (right) with Liu Xiaobo in 2002

She had never been charged with a crime and yet had guards permanently posted right outside her door and also at the gates to her housing compound. They were there to stop her from leaving and to prevent journalists, diplomats and supporters from visiting.

The Chinese government had always maintained that she was as free as any citizen here but - after eight years being denied permission to leave her house as she pleased - her physical and mental wellbeing were deteriorating.

The fear was that she, like Liu Xiaobo, might die in captivity.

Finally, in the days approaching the first anniversary of her husband's death, a sustained diplomatic effort, led mainly by Germany, has worked and she has realised her dream to get out.

How did she leave?

She took a Finnair flight from Beijing to Berlin at 11:00 local time (03:00 GMT) on Tuesday, a friend, Ye Du, told news agencies.

While there was no immediate comment from its embassy, Germany had been urging China to allow Mrs Liu to leave.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Liu Xiaobo: China's most influential dissident

Western diplomats reportedly tried to visit Mrs Liu at her Beijing flat in May but were refused entry.

News of her departure comes three days before the anniversary of her husband's death.

How desperate had her situation become?

In May, she told her friend Liao Yiwu by phone that it was "easier to die than live".

"I've got nothing to be afraid of," she was quoted as saying. "If I can't leave, I'll die in my home. Xiaobo is gone, and there's nothing in the world for me now."

Image copyright AFP Image caption Liu Xia with a picture of her husband last year

Mr Liao also uploaded a recording of a phone conversation he had had in April with Mrs Liu, where she can be heard crying and saying: "I'm ready to die here."

Chinese authorities had maintained the dissident's widow was a free citizen but she had faced restrictions on her movements and had been kept under surveillance.

Patrick Poon, China Researcher at the human rights groups Amnesty International, said it was "wonderful news that Liu Xia is finally free and that her persecution and illegal detention at the hands of the Chinese authorities has come to an end".

He added: "The Chinese authorities tried to silence her, but she stood tall for human rights."

Amnesty further called for an end to the harassment of Liu Xia's family who remained in China.

"It would be most callous of the Chinese authorities to use Liu Xia's relatives to put pressure on Liu Xia to prevent her from speaking out in future," its researcher added.</s>Friends of Liu Xia, the wife of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo who died in detention last July, say she has boarded a flight to Germany after years of being detained.

Liu Xia was never charged with a crime but has spent eight years under house arrest.



 Her friends said she left China on board a Finnair flight bound for Germany on Tuesday. Her brother, Liu Hui, was not on the plane, they said. Some other friends told DW that Liu Xia is headed to Berlin.

Liu Hui also confirmed his sister's departure on a social media site.

"Sister has already left Beijing for Europe at noon to start her new life. Thanks to everyone who has helped and cared for her these few years. I hope from now on her life is peaceful and happy," he wrote.

More:Liu Xiaobo is first Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in chains since Nazi era

Campaigners have called for Liu Xia's release ever since the 57-year-old poet and artist was put under house arrest in 2010, days after her imprisoned husband, Liu Xiaobo, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She has never been charged with any crime.

He had been sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of inciting subversion of state power.

Liu Xiaobo died of liver cancer last July aged 61. He was a writer, critic and activist who called for political reforms and an end to one-party rule in China.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang made a state visit to Germany on Monday and met with Chancellor Angela Merkel.



 Berlin has been pushing China to let Liu leave the country following the death of her husband. In May, Germany said it would welcome the widow after a recording was released of her crying in desperation and indicating she was losing hope of leaving China.

Friends of Liu Xia had expressed concern for her mental health ahead of the first anniversary of her husband's death on Friday.

China has maintained that Liu Xia was free and accorded all rights guaranteed to her by law.

Western diplomats, however, disagree. They say Chinese authorities kept a close watch on her after the death of her husband and she was only allowed to meet and speak to friends and family in pre-arranged phone calls and visits.

This article originally appeared on DW. Its content was created separately to USA TODAY.</s>A woman plays smartphone next to a statue of the late Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo in Hong Kong, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. China allowed the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo to be freed from house arrest and leave for Berlin on Tuesday, her relatives and close friends said, ending an eight-year ordeal that drove the poet into depression and drew intense criticism of Beijing's human rights record. The read banner with Chinese letters reads: "Release Liu Xia." less

A woman plays smartphone next to a statue of the late Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo in Hong Kong, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. China allowed the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo to be ... more

Pro-democracy protesters stand next to a banner with an image of Liu Xia in Hong Kong, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. China allowed the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo to be freed from house arrest and leave for Berlin on Tuesday, her relatives and close friends said, ending an eight-year ordeal that drove the poet into depression and drew intense criticism of Beijing's human rights record. less

Pro-democracy protesters stand next to a banner with an image of Liu Xia in Hong Kong, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. China allowed the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo to be freed from house ... more

Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel dissident Liu Xiaobo, reacts as she arrives at the Helsinki International Airport in Vantaa, Finland, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. China on Tuesday allowed Liu Xia to fly to Berlin, ending an eight-year house arrest that had drawn intense international criticism and turned the 57-year old poet _ who reluctantly followed her husband into politics two decades ago _ into a tragic icon known around the world. (Jussi Nukari/ Lehtikuva via AP) less

Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel dissident Liu Xiaobo, reacts as she arrives at the Helsinki International Airport in Vantaa, Finland, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. China on Tuesday allowed Liu Xia to fly to ... more

Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel dissident Liu Xiaobo, reacts as she arrives at the Helsinki International Airport in Vantaa, Finland, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. China on Tuesday allowed Liu Xia to fly to Berlin, ending an eight-year house arrest that had drawn intense international criticism and turned the 57-year old poet _ who reluctantly followed her husband into politics two decades ago _ into a tragic icon known around the world. (Jussi Nukari/ Lehtikuva via AP) less

Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel dissident Liu Xiaobo, reacts as she arrives at the Helsinki International Airport in Vantaa, Finland, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. China on Tuesday allowed Liu Xia to fly to ... more

Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel dissident Liu Xiaobo, gestures she arrives at the Helsinki International Airport in Vantaa, Finland, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. China on Tuesday allowed Liu Xia to fly to Berlin, ending an eight-year house arrest that had drawn intense international criticism and turned the 57-year old poet _ who reluctantly followed her husband into politics two decades ago _ into a tragic icon known around the world. (Jussi Nukari/ Lehtikuva via AP) less

Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel dissident Liu Xiaobo, gestures she arrives at the Helsinki International Airport in Vantaa, Finland, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. China on Tuesday allowed Liu Xia to fly to ... more

FILE - In this July 14, 2017, file photo, a plainclothes Chinese security guard attempts to stop a photographer from taking photos of an apartment building where Liu Xia, the wife of Chinese dissident and Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, had been living under house arrest in Beijing. A person briefed on the matter said Tuesday, July 10, 2018, that Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo, has left China for Europe after eight years under house arrest. less

FILE - In this July 14, 2017, file photo, a plainclothes Chinese security guard attempts to stop a photographer from taking photos of an apartment building where Liu Xia, the wife of Chinese dissident and Nobel ... more

FILE - In this July 15, 2017, file photo provided by the Shenyang Municipal Information Office, Liu Xia, center, wife of jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner and Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, holds a portrait of him during his funeral in Shenyang in northeastern China's Liaoning Province. A person briefed on the matter said Tuesday, July 10, 2018, that Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo, has left China for Europe after eight years under house arrest. (Shenyang Municipal Information Office via AP, File) less

FILE - In this July 15, 2017, file photo provided by the Shenyang Municipal Information Office, Liu Xia, center, wife of jailed Nobel Peace Prize winner and Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, holds a portrait of him ... more

BEIJING (AP) — The Latest on the release of the Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo's widow, Liu Xia, from house arrest (all times local):

Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo has arrived in Germany following being freed from house arrest after eight years.

She landed at Berlin's Tegel airport on Tuesday and was taken away by car soon after she got off the plane.

Liu was placed under house arrest in 2010 after her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

During an earlier stop-over in Helsinki, Finland, she was seen spreading her arms and grinning widely.

The Chinese government confirmed earlier that Liu has left China for Germany, saying she is seeking medical treatment.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Tuesday that Liu Xia departed to get "medical treatment according to her own will." Hua provided no further information.

Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, free from house arrest after eight years, has emerged from a plane visibly overjoyed at an airport in Helsinki, Finland.

Liu, a petite, bespectacled poet, was photographed smiling as she entered the terminal in a gray T-shirt under a black and white knit cardigan.

These are the first images of Liu as a free woman since she was placed under house arrest in 2010 after her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In one image, Liu is seen spreading her arms and grinning widely.

Activists in Hong Kong who have been campaigning on Liu Xia's behalf rejoiced over the news of her release Tuesday.

Three pro-democracy advocates held a news conference by a bronze statue of Liu Xiaobo which they unveiled last month to commemorate the upcoming one-year anniversary of the Nobel Peace laureate's death in Chinese custody.

Activist Leung Kwok-hung said he was "nearly crying" when he heard that Liu Xia boarded a plane to Germany this morning.

Leung said: "It was such good news for us since we have been here for more than one month to collect signatures for Ms. Liu Xia's release."

But Leung also expressed worry that Liu Xia's brother, Liu Hui, would become a "hostage" while he remains in China.

Human rights groups are cautiously celebrating Liu Xia's departure from China on Tuesday, as they urge the international community to keep in mind the abuses suffered by her and her late husband, Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo.

Patrick Poon, a China researcher for Amnesty International, said Liu Xia is "a very important example of how international pressure still can work on human rights cases in China" at a time when many believe lobbying the country on such issues is futile.

But China Human Rights Defenders researcher Frances Eve said Liu's release was an "easy win" for China.

Eve said the government sought to "make it seem as though it is a country ruled according to law when everything about her case has shown demonstrably that it is not."

The Chinese government has confirmed the widow of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo has left China for Germany, saying Liu Xia is seeking medical treatment.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Tuesday that Liu Xia departed to get "medical treatment according to her own will." Hua provided no further information.

China has previously criticized calls by Western governments for Liu's release, saying that foreign countries were making "improper remarks" over what Beijing sees as a domestic affair.

Officials have also insisted that Liu Xia was free to move around — a clear contradiction of the reality on the ground, according to her friends and people who encountered guards blocking their attempts to visit her at her home in Beijing.

A person briefed on the matter says Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo, has left China for Europe after eight years under house arrest.

Western governments and activists have urged China for years to release Liu Xia, citing the fact that she has never been charged with any crime.

Chinese authorities put her under house arrest in 2010, days after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded her imprisoned husband the Peace Prize, infuriating the Chinese government.

Liu Xiaobo died of liver cancer last July while under government custody, prompting new international calls for Liu Xia's release.

China sentenced Liu Xiaobo in 2009 to 11 years' imprisonment on charges of inciting subversion of state power.</s>Liu Xia, the widow of the late human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, has been released after eight years under house arrest and has flown to Berlin.

The 57-year-old poet, painter and photographer took a Finnair flight to the German capital on Tuesday. Her release was welcomed by friends and activists.

“Liu Xia has indeed flown to Berlin. This time there is no doubt . . . I am so, so, so happy. Finally, finally Xia is coming today,” the dissident writer Liao Yiwu, who lives in Berlin, posted on Facebook.

The foreign ministry in Beijing confirmed that she had left the country “for medical treatment”.

Ms Liu suffers from deep clinical depression and she was quoted in April as saying during a phone conversation with Mr Liao that she would rather die than live in captivity.

Liu Xia was placed under house arrest after Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2010 in jail. He was jailed for co-authoring a petition known as Charter 08 seeking political reform. She had been held under close watch by state security agents and could only be reached by her closest friends and family by phone.

“I’m really happy to see that Liu Xia can finally leave China. She has suffered too much over the years. I hope that she can lead a good life in Germany, ” Patrick Poon, China researcher at Amnesty International, told The Irish Times.

“It’s still worrying that her brother Liu Hui is in China and might be still under tight surveillance,” said Mr Poon.

On the WeChat social network, her brother Liu Hui said his sister was “beginning a new life”.

Liu Xiaobo’s death from liver cancer in hospital last year made him the first Nobel Peace Prize winner to die in custody since the German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky died in Nazi custody in 1938.

News that Liu Xia had been freed came as Chinese premier Li Keqiang was on a visit to Germany. He met chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday.

Dr Merkel had repeatedly called for her release and the German government had been in intensive talks with Beijing to allow her to travel overseas, but there had been numerous delays, usually attributed to high-profile political meetings in China.

Traditionally the Chinese government has allowed high-profile dissidents to enter exile overseas, citing medical concerns. Many have settled in the German capital in recent years.

July 13th marks the first anniversary of Liu Xiaobo’s death and overseas Chinese activists are planning to hold a remembrance meeting in the Gethsamene church in Berlin.</s>FILE PHOTO - Liu Xia, the wife of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, talks to the media in Beijing Thomson Reuters BEIJING (Reuters) - Liu Xia, the widow of late Chinese political dissident Liu Xiaobo, has left Beijing on a flight to Berlin, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.

The Chinese-language report said Liu Xia was aboard a Finnair flight that departed from Beijing at 11 a.m. (0300 GMT). It gave no further details of her travel plans.

Liu Xiaobo died of liver cancer in July 2017 in Chinese custody, having been jailed in 2009 for inciting subversion.

Liu Xia had been under house arrest since her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 and Beijing has been under pressure to allow her to leave China.</s>BEIJING (AP) — The Latest on the release of the Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo's widow, Liu Xia, from house arrest (all times local):

Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo has arrived in Germany following being freed from house arrest after eight years.

She landed at Berlin's Tegel airport on Tuesday and was taken away by car soon after she got off the plane.

Liu was placed under house arrest in 2010 after her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

During an earlier stop-over in Helsinki, Finland, she was seen spreading her arms and grinning widely.

The Chinese government confirmed earlier that Liu has left China for Germany, saying she is seeking medical treatment.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Tuesday that Liu Xia departed to get "medical treatment according to her own will." Hua provided no further information.

Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, free from house arrest after eight years, has emerged from a plane visibly overjoyed at an airport in Helsinki, Finland.

Liu, a petite, bespectacled poet, was photographed smiling as she entered the terminal in a gray T-shirt under a black and white knit cardigan.

These are the first images of Liu as a free woman since she was placed under house arrest in 2010 after her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In one image, Liu is seen spreading her arms and grinning widely.

Activists in Hong Kong who have been campaigning on Liu Xia's behalf rejoiced over the news of her release Tuesday.

Three pro-democracy advocates held a news conference by a bronze statue of Liu Xiaobo which they unveiled last month to commemorate the upcoming one-year anniversary of the Nobel Peace laureate's death in Chinese custody.

Activist Leung Kwok-hung said he was "nearly crying" when he heard that Liu Xia boarded a plane to Germany this morning.

Leung said: "It was such good news for us since we have been here for more than one month to collect signatures for Ms. Liu Xia's release."

But Leung also expressed worry that Liu Xia's brother, Liu Hui, would become a "hostage" while he remains in China.

Human rights groups are cautiously celebrating Liu Xia's departure from China on Tuesday, as they urge the international community to keep in mind the abuses suffered by her and her late husband, Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo.

Patrick Poon, a China researcher for Amnesty International, said Liu Xia is "a very important example of how international pressure still can work on human rights cases in China" at a time when many believe lobbying the country on such issues is futile.

But China Human Rights Defenders researcher Frances Eve said Liu's release was an "easy win" for China.

Eve said the government sought to "make it seem as though it is a country ruled according to law when everything about her case has shown demonstrably that it is not."

The Chinese government has confirmed the widow of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo has left China for Germany, saying Liu Xia is seeking medical treatment.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Tuesday that Liu Xia departed to get "medical treatment according to her own will." Hua provided no further information.

China has previously criticized calls by Western governments for Liu's release, saying that foreign countries were making "improper remarks" over what Beijing sees as a domestic affair.

Officials have also insisted that Liu Xia was free to move around — a clear contradiction of the reality on the ground, according to her friends and people who encountered guards blocking their attempts to visit her at her home in Beijing.

A person briefed on the matter says Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo, has left China for Europe after eight years under house arrest.

Western governments and activists have urged China for years to release Liu Xia, citing the fact that she has never been charged with any crime.

Chinese authorities put her under house arrest in 2010, days after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded her imprisoned husband the Peace Prize, infuriating the Chinese government.

Liu Xiaobo died of liver cancer last July while under government custody, prompting new international calls for Liu Xia's release.

China sentenced Liu Xiaobo in 2009 to 11 years' imprisonment on charges of inciting subversion of state power.</s>In an emotional phone call with Liao Yiwu recently, Liu Xia says, 'They should add a line to the constitution: 'Loving Liu Xiaobo is a serious crime – it's a life sentence'.'

BERLIN, Germany – Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel dissident Liu Xiaobo, arrived in Germany Tuesday, July 10, after she was released from years of de facto house arrest in China.

Despite facing no charges, the 57-year-old poet had endured heavy restrictions on her movements since 2010 when her husband won the Nobel Peace Prize – an award that infuriated Beijing.

After being allowed to leave China, Liu flew via Helsinki to Berlin, where she arrived just days before the first anniversary of her husband's death from liver cancer.

Berlin-based dissident Liao Yiwu and German Nobel laureate Herta Mueller were among a dozen people waiting to greet her at the airport, shouting out her name from the viewing terrace as she emerged from the aircraft.

But Liu immediately boarded a black van parked on the airfield tarmac and was whisked away without making any remarks.

Liao had earlier voiced his joy on Twitter, saying: "I am so, so, so happy! Finally, finally, Xia is coming today!!"

Liu had become a cause celebre and was seen as a test case for China's attitude to human rights, with activists and foreign powers urging Beijing to allow her to leave the country.

Her husband Liu Xiaobo, a veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, died last year of liver cancer while serving an 11-year sentence for "subversion".

In an emotional phone call with Liao recently, Liu said, "They should add a line to the constitution: 'Loving Liu Xiaobo is a serious crime – it's a life sentence'."

With Beijing's rights record in the spotlight, a court in central China sentenced another prominent Chinese political campaigner to 13 years in jail for "subversion", just hours after Liu Xia left the country.

Qin Yongmin, 64, was first jailed as a "counter-revolutionary" from 1981-1989 and has already spent a total of 22 years in prison.

Close friend Ye Du, speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP) before Liu's departure, said she was suffering from "very severe" depression, adding she would "sometimes faint" and was taking medicine to sleep.

Another friend who has spoken to her several times said she was in "bad shape, physically and psychologically".

She was finally given a passport last week, this friend, who did not wish to be named, told AFP.

"I hope Liu Xia can find some personal peace and restore her health in Germany," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, who called her fate in recent years "nothing short of tragic".

Chinese authorities had consistently maintained Liu was free but imposed severe restrictions on her movement and kept her under constant surveillance.

In May, several foreign diplomats who tried to visit Liu at her apartment amid concerns over her health were denied access.

Hua Chunying, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, said Liu's travel to Germany for medical treatment was "of her own free will".

US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert welcomed the decision to release Liu "from house arrest" and allow her to leave China "as she long wished".

"We urge China to release all prisoners of conscience and respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all," she said on Twitter.

Patrick Poon from Amnesty International said it was "really wonderful" that Liu was finally allowed to leave.

But he voiced concern for her brother Liu Hui who remains in China and said she "might not be able to speak much for fear of her brother's safety".

In Hong Kong, pro-democracy activists celebrated at a memorial to Liu Xiaobo adorned with the couple's pictures.

"I'm in a sea of joy," said veteran activist "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung as he drank a toast to her.

At Liu's Beijing apartment building on Tuesday, two men guarded the entrance and questioned anyone who came near while at least two others patrolled the park outside.

But despite heavy security, AFP gained access to her apartment on Monday, July 9, and saw little sign she was preparing for an imminent departure. Liu declined to give a formal interview, citing fears for her younger brother.

Pictures of the couple in happier times lined the walls.

Liu's departure came during a visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to Berlin, where he met German Chancellor Angela Merkel, although a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman denied any "association or link between this incident and the visit".

Merkel has spoken out frequently on Chinese human rights abuses and is believed to have pushed for Liu's release during her May visit to Beijing, where she met the wives of detained human rights lawyers.

Analysts, however, pointed to the upcoming anniversary of Liu's husband's death as a reason for the timing.

"Perhaps the Chinese government realized that as the anniversary of Liu Xiaobo's death approaches, keeping his widow under house arrest simply shows the Chinese to be petty, cruel and vindictive – not the image it's trying to project to the world," said Elaine Pearson from Human Rights Watch.

Others said Beijing might be trying to curry favor with Western powers ahead of an EU-China summit next week, as China needs Europe in the trade battle with the United States.

A Western diplomat said: "It has to do with China's image at a time when it is fighting a trade war with the United States."

"China needs to let some steam off and it is conducting a charm offensive targeted at the rest of the world."

This however does not herald an improvement in human rights, this diplomat said, adding that on the contrary, "we can see it is getting worse". – Rappler.com</s>Beijing, July 10 (IANS) After seven years of house arrest, Liu Xia, the widow of activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, on Tuesday left for Germany.

Liu Xia had been under house arrest since 2010 when her late husband was awarded the top peace prize while serving his sentence for “anti-China” activities.

He died of cancer in 2017, becoming the first Nobel Peace Prize winner in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky in 1938.

Liu Xia took a plane to Berlin at 11 a.m., family friends said. She has never been charged with any crime but said in May that she was ready to die in protest over her continued detention.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, which was cagey about the details and reasons for freeing Liu Xia, said the 57-year-old poet left for Germany for treatment of her own volition.

“I should say Liu Xia travelled to Germany for medical treatment in accordance with her own will,” Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.

Her husband, a university professor turned human rights campaigner, was jailed in 2009 on charges ofr inciting subversion.

He died of liver cancer in 2017 and his ashes were scattered at sea.

Liu Xia is said to have suffered from depression after spending years under heavy surveillance. The development came three days before the anniversary of her husband’s death.

Chinese authorities earlier maintained that the dissident’s widow was a free citizen but she faced restrictions on her movements and had been kept under surveillance.

Patrick Poon, China Researcher at the human rights group Amnesty International, said it was “wonderful news that Liu Xia was finally free and that her persecution and illegal detention at the hands of the Chinese authorities came to an end”.

He added: “The Chinese authorities tried to silence her, but she stood tall for human rights.” Amnesty further called for an end to the harassment of Liu Xia’s family who remained in China.</s>It’s been almost a year since Nobel peace prize winner, writer, and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo passed away of liver cancer in custody in China, with Beijing rejecting pleas for the dissident to be allowed to travel abroad for treatment. After his death, his wife Liu Xia—who was with him in the hospital in his last days—disappeared back into the state of house arrest she’d lived in for years.

But now, Liu Xia is reported to have been allowed to leave China.

BBC China reported Tuesday (July 10) that she departed Beijing on a Finnair flight to Berlin this morning, citing unnamed sources. Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post later said it had also independently confirmed her departure.

The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed Liu Xia’s departure, according to AP. Calls to the German embassy in Beijing went unanswered, and the German consulate in Hong Kong didn’t immediately respond to queries sent via email.

If the reports that she’s been released to Germany are true, it would mark an end to nearly a decade of unofficial detention for Liu Xia—who has been kept under strict state surveillance since Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2010. The award came a year into Liu Xiaobo’s 11-year prison sentence for “subversion of state power” for co-authoring a manifesto in 2008 that called for fundamental changes in China’s governance. Few are allowed to visit her and plainclothes police patrol around her Beijing apartment. Those close to her say she suffers from heart ailments and depression, and has many times asked to leave China.

It’s also a big win for Germany, one of the few countries allowed to send a doctor to China last year to examine Liu Xiaobo. The country has been raising human rights issues and the situation of Liu Xia on multiple occasions with China, a major trade partner and investor. While in Beijing in May, German chancellor Angela Merkel met with the wife of a detained human rights lawyer. On the same visit, at a joint press conference with Merkel, Chinese premier Li Keqiang said China was prepared to discuss “relevant individual cases” with Germany.

The reports of Liu Xia’s departure come as Li wraps up a two-day visit to Germany. Li met Merkel on Monday to discuss financial and business deals amid the US-China trade war.

A poet, a painter, and a photographer herself, Liu Xia’s writings are inward-looking, wrote Ian Johnson, noting that her poems are laden with symbols associated with the struggles of dissidents in China, such as birds and the empty chair that has come to to represent Liu Xiaobo. Last year, the clear devotion of the couple through years of separation touched many, and inspired one Chinese cartoonist to illustrate their bond.

On Chinese social media, some are expressing their happiness for her—obliquely, of course, so as to avoid censorship. On the microblog Weibo, one user based in Germany wrote (link in Chinese), “Willkommen in Deutschland! Willkommen in die freie Welt!! Welcome to Germany, to the free world!”

Correction: An earlier version of this story said Liu Xia departed China late Monday. She departed Tuesday morning.

Read next: Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo: A timeline of a life dedicated to the protesters of Tiananmen Square

Read next: Dying in custody, a Nobel prize-winning Chinese dissident wrote this last love letter to his wife</s>BEIJING (AP) — China allowed the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo to be freed from house arrest and leave for Berlin on Tuesday, her relatives and close friends said, ending an eight-year ordeal that drove the poet into depression and drew intense criticism of Beijing's human rights record.

The release of Liu Xia, who has never been charged with any crime, is the result of years of campaigning by Western governments and activists and comes just days before the one-year anniversary of the death of dissident Liu Xiaobo while he was serving a prison sentence for inciting subversion.

Liu Xia's brother, Liu Hui, wrote on a social media site: "Sister has already left Beijing for Europe at noon to start her new life. Thanks to everyone who has helped and cared for her these few years. I hope from now on her life is peaceful and happy."

Liu's release comes as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is visiting Germany, a country that in May said it would welcome the widow after a recording was released of her crying in desperation and indicating she had lost hope of being able to leave China.

Close friends Gao Yu, a veteran journalist in Beijing, and Wu Yangwei, better known by his penname Ye Du, said Liu Xia was on a Finnair flight to Berlin that left Tuesday morning. Wu said he spoke to Liu Xia's older brother, Liu Tong.

"Liu Xia has been kept isolated for so many years," said Wu by phone from the southern city of Guangzhou. "I hope that being in a free country will allow Liu Xia to heal her longstanding traumas and wounds."

For years Liu Xia has expressed a preference to go to Germany, where she has a circle of friends from China's dissident and literary circles. German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets regularly with dissidents during visits to China and has raised Liu Xia's case with Chinese officials, including during a visit in May, people familiar with the matter said.

When Liu Xiaobo died a year ago, Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel urged the Chinese government to let Liu Xia and her brother leave the country for Germany. "She and her brother, Liu Hui, should immediately be allowed to leave for Germany or another country of their choice if they wish to," Gabriel had said.

China sentenced Liu Xiaobo in December 2009 to 11 years' imprisonment on charges of inciting subversion of state power after he helped write a manifesto calling for political and economic liberalization.

Days after the Nobel Committee awarded him the Peace Prize in 2010, infuriating Beijing, Chinese authorities put Liu Xia under house arrest. State security assigned guards around-the-clock outside Liu's Beijing home and restricted her access to the internet and the outside world, allowing her only occasional phone calls with a small circle of friends.

The news of her release was celebrated by China's beleaguered community of activists, who have been at the center of an expansive crackdown on civil society, rights lawyers and other independent groups the administration of President Xi Jinping has deemed a threat to the ruling Communist Party's grip on power.

Several expressed concerns about the fate of her brother, Liu Hui, who has previously been convicted of fraud and sentenced to jail in a case supporters said was a form of retaliation against the attention the Nobel laureate was getting.

"This is fantastic news, something we have all been hoping against hope for a long time," said Hu Jia, a family friend and Beijing-based activist. "But we still fear for Liu Hui, who is being kept in the country as a guarantee so that Liu Xia does not speak out abroad."

Liu's friends in recent months have said her mental condition has steadily deteriorated, particularly since the death of her husband.

"If I can't leave, I'll die in my home," Liu Xia had said during a recent phone call with her close friend Liao Yiwu, a writer who documented their conversation in an essay published in May.

"Xiaobo is gone, and there's nothing in the world for me now," Liu said tearfully. "It's easier to die than live. Using death to defy could not be any simpler for me."

An accomplished artist and poet, Liu told Associated Press reporters during an unexpected visit to her home in 2012 that she had anticipated China would punish her for her husband's Nobel award, but she had not expected to be kept under "Kafkaesque" house arrest.
Liu Xia, widow of Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, is allowed to leave Beijing, China, for Berlin, Germany.