The Chinese government bears a “heavy responsibility” for Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo’s death, the leader of the Norwegian Nobel committee said Thursday.

“We find it deeply disturbing that Liu Xiaobo was not transferred to a facility where he could receive adequate medical treatment before he became terminally ill,” said Berit Reiss-Anderssen. “The Chinese Government bears a heavy responsibility for his premature death,” she said in an emailed statement.

Liu, a Chinese a literary critic-turned-dissident and pro-democracy advocate, died Thursday at age 61 following a high-profile battle with liver cancer.

Rights groups were quick to praise his achievements and legacy while calling on the international community to investigate deaths in captivity and work to prevent them.

“Even as Liu Xiaobo’s illness worsened, the Chinese government continued to isolate him and his family, and denied him freely choosing his medical treatment,” said Sophie Richardson, China director for Human Rights Watch. “The Chinese government’s arrogance, cruelty, and callousness are shocking – but Liu’s struggle for a rights-respecting, democratic China will live on.”

The U.N. Human Rights Chief expressed “deep sorrow” over Liu’s death, saying in a statement that the human rights movement has lost a “principled champion”. [Read More]

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Source: VOA News: War and Conflict