The German government has again expressed its concern about the fate of the Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo. Federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert stressed that Germany is ready to take in Liu and provide him with the medical treatment he needs.
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The German government has "repeatedly raised the question of the fate of Liu Xiaobo with the Chinese leadership at top level and pushed for a humanitarian solution at an early stage," said federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert at the government press conference.
Liu has expressed the clear wish to leave China, along with his wife and his brother-in-law. According to a German-American team of doctors who saw Liu last weekend, his condition would still permit a transfer to another country, said Steffen Seibert.
Cancer specialists from the University of Heidelberg and the University of Texas were able to visit Liu Xiaobo on 8 July in the hospital where he is being treated. In spite of his critical condition, they declared the patient fit to be transferred at this stage. The doctors conveyed his wish to be transferred to the USA or Germany for further treatment.
This makes the latest reports in the media on Wednesday, according to which Liu’s condition has continued to worsen, all the more worrying. There is currently no way to verify these reports, however, said the government spokesperson.
The situation for Liu and his family can "only be described as dramatic" continued Steffen Seibert. For this reason the German government is appealing to the Chinese government "to give priority to the humanitarian aspects of this case and allow Mr Liu and his family to leave the country immediately".
The information currently available also poses the question as to whether Liu Xiaobo’s condition should not have been diagnosed and treated earlier. This is not a question that can be answered with any degree of certainty at the moment, however. What is needed now is "a humanitarian solution".
Liu Xiaobo, born in 1955, is a Chinese writer and human rights activist. He was President of the independent Chinese PEN Center (ICPC) from 2003 to 2007. In 2009 he was sentenced to eleven years imprisonment for his participation in drafting the "Charter 08" civil rights charter one year earlier along with a large number of other activists.
In 2010 Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Committee selected him in recognition of his "long and non-violent fight for fundamental human rights in China".