Beijing defends prison care of ailing Nobel Peace laureate Liu

Liu Xia, wife of 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo poses with a photo of her and her husband

In the midst of a growing outcry, China appears to be responding to criticism that prison authorities failed to provide sufficient care to ailing Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo, saying that he received regular health checks but nothing abnormal was detected until May.

Liu, 61, has been released from prison on medical parole after being diagnosed earlier this month with late-stage liver cancer and is being treated in a hospital in the northeastern city of Shenyang. He had been more than half-way through an 11-year sentence after being convicted in 2009 on subversion charges.

A statement released by Shenyang’s judicial bureau said doctors found suspicious symptoms during a routine physical checkup on May 31. It said a 22-member medical team was convened and a week later diagnosed Liu with liver cancer that had metastasized. Defending Liu’s care, it listed the steps taken and medical units involved.

“Liu Xiaobo and his family expressed their satisfaction with the treatment work undertaken by the prison and hospital,” the statement said. Liu’s wife, Liu Xia, who has been living under house arrest despite not being charged with any crime, was accompanying him in Shenyang, the statement said.

Meanwhile, a video clip without a clear provenance emerged overnight on YouTube in which Liu thanks wardens for taking care of him. The clip, released anonymously, appears to show Liu receiving checkups, medical consultations and undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging procedure.

“Since I came here, both Captain Dai and Captain Jin truly have taken good care of me, especially of my health,” said Liu, wearing a gray prison uniform. He appears relaxed in the footage, which seemed to have been shot over a period of time and edited together.

It is unclear when the footage was taken and by whom, though it is likely that only prison, police and other officials in the security apparatus had such close access to Liu during his incarceration. Also unclear is whether the footage had been manipulated and whether it accurately reflected the conditions of his eight-year detention.

The video spread after the popular dissident news site Boxun.com posted it on its YouTube account with a comment: “This must have been released by the authorities.” Watson Meng, who runs Boxun, said he had noticed the video elsewhere on YouTube but didn’t know its source.

“Keep in mind, the clip has been edited to show Liu happy and smiling,” Meng told The Associated Press. Didi Tang, Beijing, AP