At a hearing held today by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Chairman of the House panel on global human rights, the life and works of the great Chinese human rights activist and Nobel Laureate, Liu Xiaobo, were examined and the plight of his wife, who is still trapped in China, was emphasized.

     “Liu Xiaobo’s premature death was a jarring shock to everyone who admired this champion of freedom and democracy,” said Smith, who is also co-Chair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China (CECC). “We mourn his loss because it is a loss for his wife, family and friends, a catastrophic loss for China and the entire world. We owe Liu Xiaobo a debt of gratitude because he demonstrated that the ideas of democracy and due process, liberty and the rule of law are not foreign ideas in China.” Click Here to read Smith’s full statement.

     Smith noted that last month, after the severity of his cancer diagnosis was made widely known, the Chinese government released Liu from prison—however he was not freed. Liu was denied adequate levels of care, being unable to seek medical attention in other countries and being forced to look to his captors for treatment. Liu passed away yesterday.

     Liu is survived by his wife, Liu Xia, who has spent years under house arrest. She is also seeking medical attention abroad, but like her husband, has been denied the ability to travel. On June 29, the Smith-authored H. Con Res. 67 passed the House of Representatives. The resolution calls on the People’s Republic of China to unconditionally release Liu Xia, allow her to freely meet with family and seek medical treatment overseas if necessary. The resolution is now in the Senate. After Liu’s death, Smith, along with CECC Chair, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-F.L), urged the Administration to assist in the release of Liu Xia.

     “Liu Xiaobo will sadly never see a free China,” said Smith. “I believe that someday China will be free. Someday, the people of China will be able to enjoy all of their God-given rights. And a nation of free Chinese men and women will honor and celebrate Liu Xiaobo as a hero. He will be honored along with all others like him who have sacrificed so much, and so long, for freedom.”

     Yang Jianli, President of Initiatives for China, said, “I strongly believe that the Chinese regime deliberately chose not to treat Liu Xiaobo’s cancer earlier. As early as 2010, Liu Xiaobo was suspected of suffering from hepatitis B. The denial of medical care lead to Liu Xiaobo’s advanced liver cancer, and was at its core a disguised death sentence.” Click Here to read Jianli’s full statement.

     Perry Link, Chancellorial Chair at the University of California, said, “there can be no doubt about the reasoning of his captors: their concerns had little to do with medical care and much to do with preventing Liu Xiaobo from speaking his mind one last time.” Click Here to read Link’s full statement.

     Jared Genser, Founder of Freedom Now, said, “We don’t know anything – anything at all – about how Liu Xiaobo has been treated in prison. The last time he said anything that was reported publicly was when he was sentenced to prison in December 2009. All we know is that he was held in extended solitary confinement throughout this time, which constitutes torture under international law, we know that Liu Xia was able to visit him monthly, and we know that the Chinese government, with all of its resources so neglected his medical care that it had no idea he had liver cancer until it had reached Stage 4 and was terminal.” Click Here to read Genser’s full statement.

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