June 26, 2017
Contact: Ashley Etienne/Caroline Behringer,
Pelosi Statement on Release of Liu Xiaobo
Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement after the release of the Nobel Peace Prize winner and Chinese democracy advocate Liu Xiaobo, following a diagnosis of late-stage liver cancer:
“Liu Xiaobo is a hero who stands in the pantheon of great leaders for non-violence, justice and freedom throughout history. His arrest and imprisonment were a disgraceful betrayal of the rule of law and China’s own constitution, but his courage throughout his persecution and imprisonment has been an inspiration to the world.
“Liu Xiaobo’s release is a deeply bittersweet moment for all freedom-loving people. While we are encouraged by the end of Liu’s unjust imprisonment, we are profoundly heartbroken by the news of his cancer and by the role the poor medical care in prison played in his current condition.
“The Chinese authorities must immediately and unconditionally provide Liu access to his family and to his lawyers. Liu must be allowed to receive the best possible medical care, wherever he wishes to receive it, in China or the United States. We also reiterate our call for Chinese officials to release all activists imprisoned for exercising their human rights, including Liu Xiaobo’s wife, Liu Xia, who unjustly remains under house arrest.”
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