Ai Weiwei Condemns China After Liu Xiaobo's Death
Liu Xiaobo, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Chinese dissident, died on July 13, 2017, in Shenyang, after being denied adequate medical care by the Chinese government. Ai Weiwei, who had appealed for his release and treatment in the West via The Guardian, called his imprisonment a 'historical error' and accused both China and Western governments of failing to act. Liu had been diagnosed with terminal illness while serving an 11-year prison sentence imposed in 2009 for his role in drafting the Charter 08, a manifesto for democratic reforms. He was a key figure in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, which he could not accept due to his imprisonment. Reporter Without Borders awarded him the Fondation de France prize in 2004.
Key facts
- Liu Xiaobo died on July 13, 2017, in Shenyang.
- Ai Weiwei appealed for Liu's release and medical treatment in the West via The Guardian.
- The Chinese government refused Western doctors' request to transfer Liu to the US for end-of-life care.
- Ai Weiwei condemned both China and Western governments for their inaction.
- Liu Xiaobo was a co-author of the Charter 08, a pro-democracy manifesto signed in December 2008.
- He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 but could not accept it due to imprisonment.
- Liu participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and urged students to cease protests to avoid bloodshed.
- Reporter Without Borders awarded him the Fondation de France prize in 2004.
Entities
Artists
- Ai Weiwei
- Liu Xiaobo
- Dalai Lama
- Václav Havel
Institutions
- The Guardian
- Reporter Without Borders
- Fondation de France
- Nobel Peace Prize
Locations
- Shenyang
- China
- United States
- Pechino