Beijing - Friends of China's Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, who
died as a political prisoner, say they are worried about his widow,
Liu Xia, whom they haven't been able to contact since the funeral.
Authorities say Liu Xia is "free," but friends fear she is still
under supervision because they are not able to contact her. She has
been under house arrest with no charges since 2010, when Liu was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work campaigning for human
rights in China.
"Liu Xia is free so far, and we want her to avoid trouble because she
was in grief after losing a relative," Zhang Qingyang, a spokesman
for authorities in the northern city of Shenyang, said Saturday.
Liu was buried at sea on Saturday by friends and family, including
Liu Xia, according to state media.
But several friends told dpa on Monday they haven't been able to
reach the 56-year-old poet, who reportedly suffers from depression
and a heart condition.
"Of course we are all very worried about Liu Xia," said friend and
activist Hu Jia. "I don't think she is back in Beijing. I haven't
been able to get in touch with her."
Authorities might decide to extend her house arrest, said friend Ye
Du.
Liu died on Thursday of multiple organ failure, according to
authorities. He was being treated for terminal cancer under medical
parole. When he died, he was approaching the end of an 11-year prison
sentence for subverting state power.
Since Liu's death, foreign officials including US Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson and UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein have called
on Chinese authorities to end Liu Xia's house arrest and allow her to
move overseas.