Candlelight vigil held for Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in Sydney

Activists attend a candlelight vigil for the Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo in Sydney.

Activists attend a candlelight vigil in Sydney.

Activists attend a candlelight vigil in Sydney. Source: SBS World News

Tibetans and Chinese democracy activists have held a candlelight vigil for Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo at the Chinese consulate in Sydney.

A series of signs were held urging the Chinese government to free Liu Xiaobo and his wife, as the group sang songs and lit candles.

Liu, 61, had been serving an 11-year prison sentence for “inciting subversion of state power,” in Jinzhou, before he was granted medical parole and released from jail last month.

China has refused to let him seek medical treatment abroad for late-stage liver cancer, despite calls from other governments, including Germany and the US.

“The world is watching,” campaign coordinator for the Sydney Network for Democracy in China, Yonglin Chen told SBS World News.

“I believe the Chinese Authorities have released several messages to the world saying they are looking after Liu better than the experts from the United States and Germany.

“Obviously it’s totally a lie.”

A prolific writer and longtime activist, Liu won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 for pro-democracy and human rights activism.

“His words are very important for Chinese [people] and will inspire more and more Chinese to fight for their basic freedom,” Mr Chen said.

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2 min read
Published 12 July 2017 7:45pm
Updated 12 July 2017 9:35pm
By Hannah Sinclair

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