Keeping Liu Xiaobo's Memory Alive

Rainy weather did not deter some 1,000 people from remembering Liu Xiaobo

Today's weather was unsettled with bursts of rain storms here and there.

But the inclement conditions didn't deter several hundred people who turned out at Tamar in Admiralty to mark the first anniversary of Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo's death.

Originally the event was also supposed to be a rally directed at the Chinese government to free Liu's wife Liu Xia, but she was unexpectedly released and allowed to fly to Berlin on Tuesday.

The candlelight vigil was organized by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China. Participants bowed at a statue of Liu Xiaobo, that has been seen in and around Causeway Bay.

It's interesting to note that while people in the mainland could not commemorate Liu, some representatives from the Chinese PEN Centre, that helped secure Liu Xia's release, were allowed to travel to Hong Kong to take part in tonight's event.

A candlelight vigil was held tonight at Tamar

Meanwhile, Lam Wing-kee, one of the five booksellers who was abducted in China in 2015, says after Liu Xia was released, human rights activist Qin Yongmin was jailed for 13 years for subversion of state power, which indicated China was not relaxing its policy towards dissidents, and that her ability to fly to Germany was an isolated case.

"I just fear Beijing's control will tighten in the future," he said. "But Liu Xia's release told Hongkongers that we need to hold on and strive for what's right, attend rallies or vigils whenever we can."

Today in Berlin, there are also events to commemorate the first anniversary of Liu Xiaobo's death, but Liu Xia will not be attending, partly because of health reasons and possibly not wanting to cause trouble for her brother, Liu Hui.

Liao Tianqi, the president of the Chinese PEN Centre, said Liu Xia expressed in a note of thanks to Hongkongers and for remembering her husband on the first anniversary of his death.

Liu Xiaobo died of liver cancer last July 13 while in custody in a hospital in Shenyang, Liaoning province. He was 61 years old.

He was serving an 11-year sentence for "inciting subversion of state power" since 2009, after he helped write a petition known as Charter 08, that called for sweeping political reforms.

Appeals for Liu Xia's Freedom are Rejected

Liu Xia and Liu Xiaobo's last days together before he died last July

Liu Xia, wife of the late dissident writer Liu Xiaobo recently revealed she is losing her will to live. It was a plea in the hopes of leaving China, as she is currently under house arrest for a crime she did not commit.

One of Liu Xia's poems that she read in a video

Germany said earlier it would welcome Liu, who suffers from depression and believe to be in declining health, after a recording was released of her crying in desperation and indicating she has given up hope of being able to leave China.

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

In response the other day, over a dozen international writers and artists together with Amnesty International and PEN America have appealed for her release by issuing videos of them reading Liu Xia's poems.

Some of those reading the poem include Rita Dove, JM Coetzee, Paul Auster, and Khaled Hosseini.

However, China rejected this latest plea, saying Liu Xia's right to travel can only be determined by the Chinese government.

"It is a matter that falls within China's judicial sovereignty," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Thursday at a regularly scheduled news conference. "She is a Chinese national [and] we of course handle the relevant issue in accordance with our laws and regulations."

Liu Xia is depressed and does not have the will to live longer

No matter how much attention Liu Xia gets from the outside, China refuses to back down -- it is determined to punish her along with her family for her association with Liu Xiaobo, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison for "inciting subversion of state power" in 2009. Before the Nobel laureate died last July of liver cancer, Liu Xia was only able to see him for a few days.

It is curious why the Chinese government sees Liu Xia as a threat and does everything it can to make her life nothing short of hell -- not being able to receive visitors, not being able to go out without being followed, and tapping her phone calls.

She has no choice but feel like there is no hope left for her except to die and rejoin Liu Xiaobo in another world. Surely Beijing wouldn't want that to happen?

Liu's Day has Come

Artist Ai Weiwei's Lego portrait of Liu Xiaobo

Anyone who has been reading the news of the deteriorating health of dissident Liu Xiaobo has been dreading this day, but it has come. He died today at the age of 61.

He is the first Nobel Peace Prize winner to die in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who won the prize in 1935 during the Nazi era.

This will be a dark stain on Chinese President Xi Jinping's legacy and the Chinese Communist Party that is desperately trying to win over the rest of the world through soft and hard power.

Letting Liu leave the country in his last days and hours would have been the humanitarian thing to do, and win Xi points on the world stage, but this is not how the president operates, as he has taken a harder line than any recent previous leaders.

China didn't want to be seen as giving in to Liu's last wishes of leaving the country in the hopes that his wife Liu Xia would have a better life.

Perhaps even more outrageous is that Liu's liver cancer diagnosis was announced at such a late stage that there was nothing any doctor or treatment could do. This appears to be a deliberate move so that no one could do anything.

At the same time, Liu's health condition had to be announced to avoid China being accused of killing him in prison, which would have raised issues of his treatment in incarceration.

While we are outraged at how the Chinese government treated Liu, where were all the world leaders speaking out about violating his human right to proper medical treatment? They are too scared to anger China with economies dependent on the country to stay afloat.

Liu can now rest in peace, but what of his wife? She will probably remain under some kind of house arrest, though she is the innocent bystander in all of this. Liu Xia is emotionally fragile and surely his death will make it even harder to keep going.

PEN America will be holding a vigil tonight in New York and we will probably see other groups hold similar events tonight and in the next day or so.

Liu was China's moral compass and he has died knowing he has done his part for his country.

Liu Xiaobo on Medical Parole

Devastating news today that Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo has terminal cancer

There was breaking news this afternoon that Nobel Peace prize winner Liu Xiaobo was being released on medical parole -- because he has terminal liver cancer.

It's bitter sweet to hear the 61-year-old is now being treated in hospital in Shenyang in Liaoning province after he was diagnosed with late stage cancer on May 23, according to one of his lawyers, Shang Baojun, citing Liu's brother.

"It seems to be very serious, very serious," Shang said. "If it was an early stage of cancer, then it would be easier to treat. But at this late stage, the treatment seems much more difficult."

The news of Liu's illness renewed calls for the academic to be released on compassionate grounds.

During the 2010 Nobel ceremony his chair was empty

"At a time when China wants to have a greater international role, it is only fitting that it should show humanity and compassion towards a man who has never committed any violent crime, but has dedicated his life to literature and free expression," PEN Hong Kong, the literature and free speech advocacy group said on its Facebook page.

Liu had previously served as president of Independent Chinese PEN, a sister organization of PEN Hong Kong.

Amnesty International's China researcher Patrick Poon said Beijing should ensure that Liu gets good medical care and access to family members, in particular his wife.

"The authorities must also stop their shameful and illegal house arrest of Liu Xiaobo's wife, Liu Xia," Poon said, "and ensure that she is able to receive visitors, travel freely and visit Liu Xiaobo."

According to friends of Liu Xia, she is worn out from isolation from house arrest, and is depressed and has a heart condition.

There is hope that Liu Xia is with her husband...

Another of Liu's lawyers Mo Shaoping said "in principle" Liu could receive visits from family members, but didn't know if his wife was with him.

Friends who know him were shocked to find out that the man they knew was so energetic before and now is seriously ill.

Apparently Liu is getting treatment from top cancer doctors now, but it's too little too late. With late stage cancer all they can do is try to ease his pain as much as possible.

This makes his imprisonment even more outrageous and cruel. He is so highly respected outside of China for his dedication to making his home country better by pushing for political liberalization with Charter 08 and yet he is condemned by Beijing and sent to prison for 11 years for "inciting subversion of state power".

At this point we can only hope his family, in particular his wife Liu Xia can finally see him without restrictions. He should at least be able to live his last days in dignity, though he probably conducted himself that way in prison too.

He said it best in his statement from his 2009 trial, titled: I Have No Enemies: My Final Statement that was read out as his Nobel lecture.

"Hatred can rot away at a person's intelligence and conscience," he wrote. "Enemy mentality will poison the spirit of a nation, incite cruel mortal struggles, destroy a society's tolerance and humanity, and hinder a nation's progress toward freedom and democracy. That is why I hope to be able to transcend my personal experiences as I look upon our nation's development and social change, to counter the regime's hostility with utmost good will, and to dispel hatred with love."

Liu Xiaobo, we will not forget you.

Another Uyghur Setback

What are the chances of Ilham Tohti getting a fair trial on separatism charges?

On the same day it was announced there was an investigation into Zhou Yongkang, there was also news that Uyghur academic and rights activist Ilham Tohti was formally charged with separatism and that his trial could start within weeks.

The prosecutor's office in the Xinjiang capital Urumqi made a brief online statement yesterday.

Tohti has been detained since January and through his lawyer Li Fangping, has vigorously denied accusations of instigating separatism, a charge that if convicted could lead to several years in prison or even the death penalty.

His wife Guzaili Nuer is upset hearing about the charges. "He only did research and wrote articles about the people of Xinjiang," she said. "I'm feeling ill and sad now."

Li wrote on his weibo account last night, criticizing government prosecutors for not notifying him about the indictment. He also said prosecutors had yet to accede his repeated requests for copies of the evidence against Tohti.

"I am shocked by how the Urumqi procuratorate has trampled on lawyers' right of defense," he wrote.

The formal charges against Tohti come as the authorities further crackdown on violent attacks in the region and a pro-Beijing imam named Jume Tahir was stabbed on Wednesday. It is believed the killing was a targeted attack.

The charges against Tohti will be another blow for for Uyghurs who was their moderate spokesperson, trying to explain to the Chinese government and the world what the ethnic minority wants -- respect of their Muslim religion, language, and way of life.

They feel they are being repressed and losing their identity as more of the younger generation speaks Putonghua than the Uyghur language. They are also being sidelined for jobs because of their ethnicity, limiting their job prospects which leads to them being marginalized financially.

Does the Chinese government realize its policies are provoking Uyghurs to resort to violence?

Tohti was their moderate voice, but now that he's been incommunicado, radical Uyghurs don't seem to see any way out except through brandishing knives and setting off homemade explosive devices.

His daughter Jewher is studying in Bloomington, Indiana -- her father was supposed to go with her on a one-year visiting scholar position at Indiana University, but was detained at Beijing International Airport in February 2013.

"I am angry about this, they have not followed the legal path," she said. "My father was only trying to foster a dialogue. What they have charged him with is untrue."

Now that Tohti will be tried for separatism, Jewher and her family need to step up the campaign to rally the rest of the world to protest her father's innocence. International pressure is needed now to show Uyghurs they have not been forgotten.

He was the winner of the 2014 PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award. More information about Tohti here.