Premier Li says China protects human rights
BEIJING Premier Li Keqiang said yesterday that China's constitution protects human rights after he was asked about Mr Liu Xia, the widow of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, with concern growing that Beijing will not allow her to leave the country.
Mr Liu Xia, an artist and poet who suffers from depression, has been under effective house arrest since her husband was awarded the prize in 2010. He died of liver cancer in July in Chinese custody, having been jailed in 2009 for inciting subversion.
She has never been charged with any crime.
Mr Li answered a question about Mr Liu's freedom by saying China's constitution states that it respects and protects human rights. He said at a joint briefing with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Beijing that he hoped China and Germany could talk about individual human rights cases on an equal basis.
"China will respect the actions taken in accordance with the law by judicial and law enforcement bodies, but at the same time we must respect humanitarianism and follow humanitarian principles," Mr Li said.
"On relevant individual cases, we hope to have dialogue on the basis of mutual respect and equality. We will explain our situation," Mr Li said, without mentioning Ms Liu by name.
Mrs Merkel had brought up human rights issues and China was willing to hold talks on the subject with Germany by the end of this year, he said.
China has repeatedly said Ms Liu is free and is accorded all rights by Chinese law.
However, Beijing-based Western diplomats say she has been closely monitored by Chinese authorities since her husband's death and has only been able to meet and speak to friends and family in pre-arranged phone calls and visits.
Repeated delays by Beijing in recent months over discussions that would allow Ms Liu to leave China have raised concern that she will not be able to fulfil her wish to live overseas, a Western diplomat involved in the case told Reuters.
Dozens of writers, poets and artists around the world called last week for China to release her after a friend in Germany released details of a phone conversation where Ms Liu said she was prepared to die in China.
Western diplomats in Beijing tried to visit Ms Liu at home two weeks ago but were turned away by security personnel, an official of one of the embassies involved said.
- REUTERS
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