Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo cremated; China says wife 'free so far'
15 July 2017 5:25 PM GMT
China's Nobel laureate and prominent dissident Liu Xiaobo was cremated on Saturday after succumbing to cancer while in custody, even as Beijing said his wife was "free so far" but must "avoid trouble" amid international pressure to let her leave the country.
The 61-year-old human rights activist died due to multiple organ failure following a battle with liver cancer on Thursday.
Family members and friends of Liu bade farewell to him in northeast China's Shenyang city, officials told a media briefing in the city. Liu's body was cremated in accordance with the will of his family members and local customs, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Prior to the cremation, a simple ceremony was held with the attendance of Liu's wife Liu Xia and his friends.
"The cremation of Liu's body on Saturday accords with local customs and respects relatives' wishes," Zhang Qingyang, spokesperson for Shenyang's information office, told the media. Liu's relatives, including his wife and brother Liu Xiaoguang, decided to cremate the remains and hold a simple funeral after consultation, the report said. The death of Liu, who was sentenced in 2009 for 11 years on the charges of sedition and incarcerated since then has brought the focus on the future of his activist wife Liu Xia, who has also been confined to house detention. Agencies
Next Story
