Fears for Chinese Nobel laureate’s wife

Summary of story from The Guardian 20.02.11

In what is thought to be her first contact with the outside world for four months, Liu Xia, wife of the jailed Chinese Nobel peace prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, has said she and her family are “hostages”, according to a friend.

Supporters have been unable to reach Liu Xia since shortly after the announcement in October 2010 that her poet husband Liu Xiaobo had won the award.

Initially she was thought to be under house arrest at the couple’s home in Beijing. It is now believed she may be being held at her parents’ house.

Campaigners are particularly alarmed at her treatment because she has never been accused of any crime.

Liu Xiaobo is serving an 11-year sentence for co-authoring Charter 08, a bold call for democratic reforms, and for other essays posted online.

In an interview with the Observer last year, Liu Xia, who is a painter, poet and photographer, said she did not have much interest in politics.

Liu Xia also said that her husband was innocent. It was the Chinese government that broke the law in imprisoning her husband, she said, pointing out that the Chinese constitution says citizens have the right to free speech.