China’s cancer-stricken Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波) suffered respiratory failure as his condition worsened yesterday, a hospital in the Chinese city of Shenyang said, amid anger over his treatment by the authorities and control over information about his health.
The First Hospital of China Medical University said that Liu’s family declined to have him put on artificial ventilation, which was necessary “to maintain life.”
“The hospital has explained the necessity of tracheal intubation to the patient’s family; the family refused the tracheal intubation,” the hospital said on its Web site.
Photo: Reuters
The hospital, which earlier reported that he had suffered organ failure, said the 61-year-old democracy advocate’s liver function had deteriorated despite three days of anti-infection and blood treatment.
Liu risks becoming the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who passed away in a hospital while held by the Nazis in 1938.
Human rights groups said it was nearly impossible to obtain independent information about Liu’s health given that he is in a heavily guarded hospital and his wife, who is with him, is also not free.
“What is on display is still the manipulation and control of information and dishonesty of the Chinese government,” Human Rights Watch Asia researcher Maya Wang said.
“The couple has not been allowed to speak freely to anyone,” Wang said. “There are some reasons to continue to cast doubt on the assessment of the hospital.”
The Chinese government has rebuffed international appeals to let Liu seek treatment abroad, saying he is getting the best possible care from top domestic doctors.
Liu was admitted to the hospital early last month after he was transferred from prison due to late-stage liver cancer.
The US on Tuesday repeated calls for Liu to be released and said it was ready to welcome him if he chose to be treated there.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Geng Shuang (耿爽) yesterday repeated his standard answer that other countries should respect the nation’s judicial sovereignty and “not interfere in China’s internal affairs under the pretext of an individual case.”
“If the hospital’s information is true, Liu Xiaobo is in his last hours of life,” Amnesty International China researcher Patrick Poon (潘嘉偉) said.
“Even in his last moments, the Chinese government doesn’t seem to loosen their grip of control of Liu Xiaobo and his family,” he said.
Germany yesterday said it was ready to treat Liu and urged Beijing to let him leave the country.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert voiced “the very greatest concern” over reports that Liu’s health had further deteriorated, calling the family’s situation “dramatic.”
“Germany stands ready to host and medically treat” the Chinese activist, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for “subversion” after calling for democratic reforms, Seibert said.
“The German government appeals to the Chinese leadership to prioritize the humanitarian aspects of this case, and allow Mr Liu and his family to immediately leave the country,” he said.
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