DEMOCRACY CAMPAIGNER
China paroles peace laureate for late-stage cancer treatment
Beijing — China’s Nobel peace prize laureate Liu Xiaobo had been transferred from prison to a hospital for terminal cancer treatment, his lawyer said on Monday, but concerned supporters called for his unconditional release. Liu, who has about three years of his 11-year sentence to serve, was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer on May 23 and granted medical parole days later, lawyer Mo Shaoping said. The 61-year-old democracy campaigner was being treated at a hospital in the northeastern city of Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, where he was imprisoned. The Liaoning Prison Administrative Bureau confirmed Liu’s parole. "He has no special plans. He is just receiving medical treatment for his illness," Mo said. The writer was sentenced in 2009 for "subversion" after spearheading a bold petition for democratic reforms. He was awarded the Nobel prize while in jail a year later.
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