Chinese dissident: Beijing should release laurate

published: 2017-07-05 09:27:40(29 Jun 2017) A prominent exiled Chinese dissident on Thursday urged Beijing to release Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo and allow him to receive cancer treatment outside China. Dissident Wu’er Kaixi, who fled China after the crucial Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, said in a press conference with a group of lawmakers in Taipei that the Chinese government’s “barbarian and cruel treatment” has caused Liu’s health to deteriorate. A statement from the judicial bureau of the northeastern city of Shenyang, where Liu is being treated, said medical teams were quickly assembled to diagnose and treat China’s most famous political prisoner for late-stage liver cancer. The statement issued overnight on Wednesday said staff found suspicious symptoms during a routine physical checkup on May 31. It said a 22-member medical team was convened and a week later diagnosed Liu with liver cancer that had metastasized. Following the revelation of his deteriorating health, Liu’s supporters questioned whether he’d been neglected or abused while incarcerated. On a separate note, Wu’er condemned the arrests of Hong Kong student activists Joshua Wong and Nathan Law late on Wednesday during a protest at Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong. The protest was organised ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to Hong Kong to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the city’s return to China.

Wu’er criticized Beijing over the arrest and said it proves that “China is not going to have a dialogue with anyone.”