Liu Xia, the wife of jailed democratic activist Liu Xiaobo, was reported missing by her husband’s lawyer this weekend after she failed to show up at the prison on Friday to tell him he won the Nobel Peace Prize. NPR reports that Liu Xia is alive and has been held under house arrest in her Beijing home since the announcement with half a dozen men blocking the entrance to her apartment. Authorities refused to let her visit until Sunday. Afterward, she tweeted, “Brothers, I have returned. Seen Xiaobo, the prison told him the news about his award on the night of the 9th.” The message was verified by another dissident, Wang Jinbo, who said Liu Xia couldn’t meet media or friends because of the security.
Liu Xiaobo told her that the prize “goes first” to protesters who lost their lives in the military action in Tiananmen Square. She hopes to be able to go to Norway to collect the medal and prize money. Some of the country’s best-known activist lawyers, who took the occasion to settle differences, are also currently under house arrest. In the more liberal Hong Kong, protesters responded by drinking Champagne and eating Norwegian salmon outside the Chinese government’s office. Uh-oh, what’s the punishment for sarcasm?
