Merkel hopes for "sign of humanity" from China for Liu Xiaobo - spokesman

Record ID: 898774

  • Title: Merkel hopes for "sign of humanity" from China for Liu Xiaobo - spokesman
  • Date: 10th July 2017
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (JULY 10, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF REGULAR GOVERNMENT NEWS CONFERENCE WITH CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL'S SPOKESMAN AND SPOKESPEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT MINISTRIES PRESENT TO ANSWER REPORTERS' QUESTIONS ON CURRENT AFFAIRS (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, STEFFEN SEIBERT, SAYING: "I can assure you that the tragic case of Liu Xiaobo is of great importance to the chancellor and that she would hope for a sign of humanity for Liu Xiaobo and his family. We have just received - and I am not sure you are aware of it - an agency wire which gives us great cause for concern, a statement by the medical team according to which his medical condition is exceptionally bad. Since this agency wire only just came in I can't comment beyond that but for the German government overall and for the chancellor this has always been a case which we have been following with great human sympathy." REPORTERS SEATED WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 24th July 2017 12:50
  • Keywords: China Germany Merkel dissident Liu Xiaobo
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • City: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Fundamental Rights/Civil Liberties,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016P4UHJB
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:The reported serious illness of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize winning rights activist Liu Xiaobo is of great concern to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, her spokesman said on Monday (July 10).
    Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin that Merkel hopes China would show "a sign of humanity for Liu Xiaobo and his family" after reports that Liu was not allowed to seek medical treatment abroad.
    Liu, 61, was jailed for 11 years in 2009 for "inciting subversion of state power" after he helped write a petition known as "Charter 08" calling for sweeping political reforms.
    He was recently moved from jail to a hospital in the city of Shenyang to be treated for late-stage liver cancer.
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