July 10, 2017
Statement by Liu Xiaobo’s International Counsel Jared Genser
I urge President Xi to allow Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia to travel abroad for medical treatment in accordance with their wishes. As Liu Xiaobo’s counsel, I have arranged for a Medevac with life support and a team of medical professionals to enable this to happen on an emergency basis as soon as permission were to given to let them leave.
No one should believe that the Chinese government’s refusal to let him leave is for medical reasons. Both the American and German doctor who visited him agreed that he could travel abroad for treatment and they emphasized there were additional treatments abroad that he could not access in China. These treatments could extend his life for several more weeks and better palliative care available abroad would reduce his pain. Liu Xiaobo reaffirmed that he wanted to travel abroad for medical treatment. In such circumstances Liu Xiaobo as the patient should have his wishes honored.
The Chinese government’s true purpose for denying Liu’s wishes is to make it impossible for Liu Xiaobo to communicate with his close friends, family, and the international community. And by denying him treatments that would extend his life, the Chinese government is intentionally hastening his death. President Xi should not be afraid of a dying man and what he might have to say. Instead he should demonstrate China’s strength by granting a dying man’s wishes on humanitarian grounds.
Jared Genser
Founder, Freedom Now
International Counsel to Liu Xiaobo