Liu Xiaobo, Chinese Nobel Laureate, Leaves Prison for Cancer Care

Ever since learning about Liu Xiaobo over a decade ago, he has been probably my greatest living hero -- at any rate, he (and his wife) are very high on the list. My wife is Chinese and it angers me to no end that her family back home in Beijing, and all their neighbors and friends, and countrymen, will never hear much of anything every again about this passionate defender of democracy, free speech, and decency in governance. No matter how far China progresses, it is and will always be the place that (among countless such cowardly and heinous crimes) imprisoned this great man, put his wife under house arrest.

I long for the day when the authoritarian regime will implode and die. Let the wisdom of beauty of Liu's words forever haunt the vanquished government, and stand as a beacon of freedom for all Chinese and all the world.

And a note to the NYTimes: sometimes you offer translations of your articles in the languages of readers who will best benefit from them; please offer this one in Mandarin for the lucky handful in China who can access it. Next time my wife and I Skype with her parents, I plan to make sure they are in the loop.

I wish this news would be immediately available in Chinese as well...

Liu Xiaobo’s condition is not at this late stage treatable. The Norwegian Nobel Committee may have some leverage to demand that Mr. Liu be freed for time with his wife in their place of choosing in his remaining period. Interestingly enough the Norwegians have until recently refused trade relations with the P.R.C. because of its treatment of Liu and just signed a joint trade agreement with China; to offer to void that agreement would be an embarrassment for Xi’s government and world news.
Liu Xiaobo and a few other activists saved the lives of the democratic protesters in Tiananmen Square by negotiating their release as the P.L.A. surrounded the complex on June 4, 1989, the man knew no fear. He will leave parting words; China’s fear.

I'm from China and l
living in China. It's just so sad that extremly bad and shameful things always happen to good people, when my friends and i heard that Mr.Liu will be out of prison, we were not happy about this at all,coz this cannot be that easy, except the situation is really really serious.

We all respect him und feel sorry about this, but we can't say a word that this in public or online. It's unacceptable and unbelievable for all of us , but honestly, we are accepting this step by step, at least unbelievable things happen to us every single day und we are not that surprised anymore, because that won't stop.

Best to this extraordinary man and his family.

The whole world should thank Liu for his courage. His being prisoned until today is an alert to all of us, on how the communist party treats its people, no matter how well they deliver a speech in Davos.

Late stage cancer? How CONVENIENT for Beijing!!!

"In Mr. Liu’s absence, his statement from his 2009 trial, titled “I Have No Enemies: My Final Statement,” was read 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.”

What an extraordinary leader. Liu Xiaobo's words remind one of Martin Luther King, or Mahatma Gandhi.

Goodluck to the CCP, the Chinese Communist Party, in suppressing such a powerful voice.

David blogs at InconvenientNewsWorldwide.wordpress.com

I'm sure Donald Trump, the human rights president, will stand up to China.
Just like Trump is standing up to Saudi Arabia.

How is it that we have relations with China and not with Cuba 'because of civil rights'?

Everyone in the world should be saying a prayer for the Nobel/NOBLE Liu Xiaobo. Poems can be prayers too. Below is the poem his wife wrote while she is in total isolation under house arrest. I have so many questions, but my sorrow and fears for Liu Xiaobo is so much greater at this time. Such a great man, so much courage. Such a great woman also in prison inside her home. Heartbreaking to think of them right now, he in such danger, she loving him and just when he needs this love the most she is probably restricted--ill herself, heartsick and depressed.

Here is her poem:

“Fragment 8”

The light of death
That often appears, as I gaze at my reading,
Feels warm.
I feel sad that I must leave.
I want to go to a place that has light.

That tenacity, mine for years,
Has turned to dust.
A tree
Can be felled by a bolt of lightning
And think nothing.

The future, for me,
Is a shut window.
The night within has no end
And the horrid dreams do not fade.

I want to go to a place that has light.

I hope that place of light is each other's love!

Maybe Liu Xiaobo will be Otto-Warmbier'd - released as an act of 'mercy' when his cancer is too advanced to treat, so he dies quietly and 'naturally' and is forgotten. That would be the best case scenario for the Chinese government, whose jailing of this lone man so loudly demonstrates its fright and frailty.

Mercy killing of an a sick and dying person is illegal in many states. As long as it is illegal, the action breaks the laws and the executioner goes to jail.

No matter how small or insignificant to us, certain actions to undermine the Chinese government is against the laws. I do not know what exactly it happened, but Mr. Liu apparently broke the laws. As talent and famous as he is, he still needs to observe and follow the government laws. No one is above the laws.

I sincerely hope Me. Liu will recover from his cancer soon. And best to him and his family as well.