Chinese authorities have barred five European diplomats from visiting the widow of the late Nobel laureate dissident Liu Xiaobo, diplomatic sources said&nbsp;Sunday.

Liu Xia, 57, has been under de facto house arrest despite facing no charges ever since her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, a recognition that deeply angered the communist regime.

Liu Xiaobo died of cancer last year while still in prison after being convicted of "subversion", making him the first Nobel laureate to die in custody since the era of Nazi Germany.

The diplomats' visit came following increased concern in recent days about Liu Xia's psychological health.

The envoys, including a French and a German envoy, tried to visit her home&nbsp;on Friday&nbsp;morning but were turned away by officials at the gate to the complex, the sources said.

The guards checked the diplomats' identities before refusing them entry without giving a reason.

Despite the daily restrictions and surveillance faced by Liu Xia, Chinese authorities still maintain she is free.&nbsp;

Earlier this month reports emerged that Liu Xia had told friends she was ready to "die at home" in protest at her continuing detention by Chinese authorities.

Liu Xia's friends have told reporters she is taking medication for depression and has suffered from heart problems and fainting.

Reporters have tried to visit Liu's home multiple times in recent years but were blocked each time by plainclothes men.&nbsp;

The United States and European Union have called on President Xi Jinping's government to free the widow and let her travel abroad.

Germany's ambassador to China previously told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post that Liu would be welcomed in his country.

When asked earlier this month about western diplomatic calls for Liu Xia to travel abroad, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters: "But Liu Xia is a Chinese citizen. The relevant Chinese authorities will handle relevant issues in accordance with the law."

Liu Xiaobo was a veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and was detained in 2008 after co-authoring Charter 08, a petition calling for democratic reforms.

He was sentenced to 11 years in prison for "subversion" but died in custody last July after authorities rejected his request to receive treatment abroad.

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Liu Xiaobo died of cancer last year while still in prison after being convicted of 'subversion', making him the first Nobel laureate to die in custody since the era of Nazi Germany

Chinese authorities have barred five European diplomats from visiting the widow of the late Nobel laureate dissident Liu Xiaobo, diplomatic sources said Sunday. Liu Xia, 57, has been under de facto house arrest despite facing no charges ever since her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, a recognition that deeply angered the communist regime. Liu Xiaobo died of cancer last year while still in prison after being convicted of "subversion", making him the first Nobel laureate to die in custody since the era of Nazi Germany. The diplomats' visit came following increased concern in recent days about Liu Xia's psychological health. The envoys, including a French and a German envoy, tried to visit her home on Friday morning but were turned away by officials at the gate to the complex, the sources said. The guards checked the diplomats' identities before refusing them entry without giving a reason. Despite the daily restrictions and surveillance faced by Liu Xia, Chinese authorities still maintain she is free. Earlier this month reports emerged that Liu Xia had told friends she was ready to "die at home" in protest at her continuing detention by Chinese authorities. Liu Xia's friends have told reporters she is taking medication for depression and has suffered from heart problems and fainting. Reporters have tried to visit Liu's home multiple times in recent years but were blocked each time by plainclothes men. The United States and European Union have called on President Xi Jinping's government to free the widow and let her travel abroad. Germany's ambassador to China previously told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post that Liu would be welcomed in his country. When asked earlier this month about western diplomatic calls for Liu Xia to travel abroad, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters: "But Liu Xia is a Chinese citizen. The relevant Chinese authorities will handle relevant issues in accordance with the law." Liu Xiaobo was a veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and was detained in 2008 after co-authoring Charter 08, a petition calling for democratic reforms. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison for "subversion" but died in custody last July after authorities rejected his request to receive treatment abroad.

European diplomats barred from seeing widow of China dissident: Sources

Chinese authorities are responsible for the &quot;enforced disappearance&quot; of Liu Xia, late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo&rsquo;s widow, their lawyer has said.

Washington-based human rights attorney Jared Genser made the claim in a formal complaint submitted to the United Nations on Wednesday, AFP reported.

Liu Xiaobo died of liver cancer last month. He is the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky in 1938.

His widow has not been in touch with anyone since about a day before her husband&rsquo;s death, Genser said in a statement to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.

Liu Xia has been &quot;held incommunicado in an unknown location by Chinese government authorities&quot; since July 15, the day of her husband&#39;s funeral, the lawyer&#39;s statement said.

&quot;I demand that Chinese authorities immediately provide proof that Liu Xia is alive and allow her unhindered access to her family, friends, counsel, and the international community,&quot; Genser was quoted as saying by AFP.&nbsp;

Liu Xiaobo was jailed for 11 years in 2009 for &quot;inciting subversion of state power&quot;, Reuters reported, after he helped write a petition known as &quot;Charter 08&quot; calling for sweeping political reforms.

He had been in jail until he was recently moved to hospital in Shenyang. His wife has been under house arrest since 2010, although she was allowed to visit her husband in hospital.

The US, the European Union, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have called on Beijing to free Liu Xia. 
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Liu Xia has not been in touch with anyone since about a day before her husband?s death, Washington-based human rights attorney Jared Genser said in a formal complaint submitted to the UN

Chinese authorities are responsible for the "enforced disappearance" of Liu Xia, late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo’s widow, their lawyer has said. Washington-based human rights attorney Jared Genser made the claim in a formal complaint submitted to the United Nations on Wednesday, AFP reported. Liu Xiaobo died of liver cancer last month. He is the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky in 1938. His widow has not been in touch with anyone since about a day before her husband’s death, Genser said in a statement to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. Liu Xia has been "held incommunicado in an unknown location by Chinese government authorities" since July 15, the day of her husband's funeral, the lawyer's statement said. "I demand that Chinese authorities immediately provide proof that Liu Xia is alive and allow her unhindered access to her family, friends, counsel, and the international community," Genser was quoted as saying by AFP. Liu Xiaobo was jailed for 11 years in 2009 for "inciting subversion of state power", Reuters reported, after he helped write a petition known as "Charter 08" calling for sweeping political reforms. He had been in jail until he was recently moved to hospital in Shenyang. His wife has been under house arrest since 2010, although she was allowed to visit her husband in hospital. The US, the European Union, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have called on Beijing to free Liu Xia.

China responsible for 'enforced disappearance' of Liu Xiaobo?s widow: Lawyer

United Nations human rights chief Zeid Ra&#39;ad Al Hussein said on Thursday he plans to seek a meeting with Chinese officials to urge freedom of movement for the widow of Nobel Peace Prize-winning dissident Liu Xiaobo, who died of cancer while in custody.

Liu Xia has been under effective house arrest since her husband - who died a week ago - won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010; she was allowed to visit him in prison about once a month. She suffers from depression.

&quot;I intend to have a meeting with Chinese officials,&quot; Zeid told reporters in New York. &quot;We are now focused on his wife and trying to ensure that she has freedom of movement and that if she wants to leave China she should be able to leave China.&quot;

Liu Xiaobo, 61, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for &quot;inciting subversion of state power&quot; after he helped write a petition known as &quot;Charter 08&quot; calling for sweeping political reforms.

China has said the case of Liu Xia remains an internal matter.

&quot;The claim was that there was never any real restriction, but the feeling was that she was being restricted. We want to use this moment to assure ourselves that she is able to leave if she wants to,&quot; Zeid said.

Liu Xia has been under effective house arrest since her husband, who died a week ago, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010

United Nations human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said on Thursday he plans to seek a meeting with Chinese officials to urge freedom of movement for the widow of Nobel Peace Prize-winning dissident Liu Xiaobo, who died of cancer while in custody. Liu Xia has been under effective house arrest since her husband - who died a week ago - won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010; she was allowed to visit him in prison about once a month. She suffers from depression. "I intend to have a meeting with Chinese officials," Zeid told reporters in New York. "We are now focused on his wife and trying to ensure that she has freedom of movement and that if she wants to leave China she should be able to leave China." Liu Xiaobo, 61, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for "inciting subversion of state power" after he helped write a petition known as "Charter 08" calling for sweeping political reforms. China has said the case of Liu Xia remains an internal matter. "The claim was that there was never any real restriction, but the feeling was that she was being restricted. We want to use this moment to assure ourselves that she is able to leave if she wants to," Zeid said.

UN rights chief seeks meeting with China over Liu Xiaobo's widow

The body of China&#39;s late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo was cremated on Saturday after a ceremony attended by his wife and friends, two days after the dissident lost a battle with cancer while in custody.

Liu&#39;s body was cremated &quot;in accordance with the will of his family members and local customs&quot; in the northeastern city of Shenyang, said Zhang Qingyang, an official from the municipal office.

Officials released photos showing his wife, the poet Liu Xia, with her brother, Liu Xiaobo&#39;s brother and friends in front of the body surrounded by white flowers at a funeral home.&nbsp;

&quot;Since she had just lost her husband, she was in very low spirits,&quot; Zhang said.

China&#39;s government has come under international criticism over its treatment of the democracy advocate and his wife, who has been under house arrest since 2010.

Western governments have called on Beijing to release Liu Xia and let her travel abroad.

The foreign ministry lashed out at the criticisim on Friday, saying it lodged official protests with the United States, Germany, France and the United Nations human rights office.

Liu's body was cremated 'in accordance with the will of his family members and local customs', an official said

The body of China's late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo was cremated on Saturday after a ceremony attended by his wife and friends, two days after the dissident lost a battle with cancer while in custody. Liu's body was cremated "in accordance with the will of his family members and local customs" in the northeastern city of Shenyang, said Zhang Qingyang, an official from the municipal office. Officials released photos showing his wife, the poet Liu Xia, with her brother, Liu Xiaobo's brother and friends in front of the body surrounded by white flowers at a funeral home. "Since she had just lost her husband, she was in very low spirits," Zhang said. China's government has come under international criticism over its treatment of the democracy advocate and his wife, who has been under house arrest since 2010. Western governments have called on Beijing to release Liu Xia and let her travel abroad. The foreign ministry lashed out at the criticisim on Friday, saying it lodged official protests with the United States, Germany, France and the United Nations human rights office.

China's late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo cremated

China is facing international pressure to release Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo&#39;s wife to leave the country after her husband<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-nobel-peace-prize-laureate-liu-xiaobo-dies-at-61-17895"> Xiaobo died&nbsp;of liver cancer in a hospital in the Chinese city of &nbsp;Shenyang on Thursday.&nbsp;</a>

Liu Xiaobo was diagnosed with late stage liver cancer, even though several countries were ready to treat him&nbsp;in their own country but the Chinese authorities weren&#39;t open to the idea of allowing the Nobel laureate to leave the country. Later, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-invites-foreign-cancer-experts-to-treat-nobel-laureate-liu-xiaobo-17609">Chinese authorities eventually allowed American and German cancer experts to treat </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-invites-foreign-cancer-experts-to-treat-nobel-laureate-liu-xiaobo-17609">Xiaoboo</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-invites-foreign-cancer-experts-to-treat-nobel-laureate-liu-xiaobo-17609"> but he died of liver cancer.</a> He was 61.

Liu was jailed in 2009 for 11 years for &quot;inciting subversion of state power&quot; after he helped write a petition known as &quot;Charter 08&quot; calling for sweeping political reforms in China.&nbsp;

In a scathing attack on the Chinese government the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the prize, said the Chinese government bore&nbsp;&quot;heavy responsibility&quot; for the death of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Now, the United States and the European Union have urged the Chinese government led by President Xi Jinping to let Liu&#39;s widow, &nbsp;Liu Xia, who has been under house arrest since 2010 to leave the country. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

&quot;I call on the Chinese government to release Liu Xia from house arrest and allow her to depart China, according to her wishes,&quot; US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.

The EU urged Beijing to let Liu Xia and his family bury him &quot;at a place and in a manner of their choosing, and to allow them to grieve in peace&quot;.

Jared Genser, a US lawyer who represented Liu, said all contact with Liu Xia had been cut off in the past 48 hours.

China has however rejected foreign criticism saying it was a &quot;domestic matter&quot; and &quot;all-out&quot; efforts had been made to treat him.

&quot;China is a country under the rule of law. The handling of Liu Xiaobo&#39;s case belongs to China&#39;s internal affairs, and foreign countries are in no position to make improper remarks,&quot; foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency. 
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Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo died?of liver cancer yesterday even though several countries were ready to treat him

China is facing international pressure to release Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo's wife to leave the country after her husband Xiaobo died of liver cancer in a hospital in the Chinese city of Shenyang on Thursday. Liu Xiaobo was diagnosed with late stage liver cancer, even though several countries were ready to treat him in their own country but the Chinese authorities weren't open to the idea of allowing the Nobel laureate to leave the country. Later, Chinese authorities eventually allowed American and German cancer experts to treat Xiaoboo but he died of liver cancer. He was 61. Liu was jailed in 2009 for 11 years for "inciting subversion of state power" after he helped write a petition known as "Charter 08" calling for sweeping political reforms in China. In a scathing attack on the Chinese government the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the prize, said the Chinese government bore "heavy responsibility" for the death of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Now, the United States and the European Union have urged the Chinese government led by President Xi Jinping to let Liu's widow, Liu Xia, who has been under house arrest since 2010 to leave the country. "I call on the Chinese government to release Liu Xia from house arrest and allow her to depart China, according to her wishes," US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said. The EU urged Beijing to let Liu Xia and his family bury him "at a place and in a manner of their choosing, and to allow them to grieve in peace". Jared Genser, a US lawyer who represented Liu, said all contact with Liu Xia had been cut off in the past 48 hours. China has however rejected foreign criticism saying it was a "domestic matter" and "all-out" efforts had been made to treat him. "China is a country under the rule of law. The handling of Liu Xiaobo's case belongs to China's internal affairs, and foreign countries are in no position to make improper remarks," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency.

Free Xiaobo's wife from house arrest, allow her to leave the country: Rex Tillerson requests China

Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo has been released from prison on medical grounds after he was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, his lawyer said.&nbsp; 
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Liu, a human rights activist, was jailed in 2009 for 11 years for &quot;inciting subversion of state power&quot; after he helped write a petition known as &quot;Charter 08&quot; calling for sweeping political reforms in China. 
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Liu&#39;s brother confirmed the Nobel laureate had been diagnosed with cancer on May 23, his lawyer Mo Shaoping told the South China Morning Post.&nbsp;

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Liu had been incarcerated at Jinzhou Penitentiary in Liaoning, his home province in northeast China, before being moved to the hospital for treatment. (AFP)
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&nbsp;He is being treated in the city of Shenyang. 
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Liu had been incarcerated at Jinzhou Penitentiary in Liaoning, his home province in northeast China, before being moved to the hospital for treatment. 
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Liu&rsquo;s wife, Liu Xia, has been under house arrest since he won the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2010 and has reportedly suffered from depression. She has not been formally charged with a crime.&nbsp; 
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Liu was not allowed to attend his father-in-law&#39;s funeral last year and his mother-in-law&#39;s funeral this year, Reuters reported.

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Rights group Amnesty International also confirmed the news of Liu&#39;s illness in a tweet. (Reuters)
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Amnesty International&rsquo;s China Researcher, William Nee, said authorities should ensure Liu was receiving adequate medical care and he called for the immediate and unconditional release of Liu and his wife. 
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&quot;Obviously, it&rsquo;s a shameful situation and it&rsquo;s incredibly sad to see one of China&rsquo;s most prominent intellectuals suffer from such a terrible illness when he never should&rsquo;ve been detained in the first place,&rdquo; Nee said. 
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Liu has been released from prison on medical parole and is being treated in hospital for late-stage liver cancer

Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo has been released from prison on medical grounds after he was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, his lawyer said. Liu, a human rights activist, was jailed in 2009 for 11 years for "inciting subversion of state power" after he helped write a petition known as "Charter 08" calling for sweeping political reforms in China. Liu's brother confirmed the Nobel laureate had been diagnosed with cancer on May 23, his lawyer Mo Shaoping told the South China Morning Post. Liu had been incarcerated at Jinzhou Penitentiary in Liaoning, his home province in northeast China, before being moved to the hospital for treatment. (AFP) × He is being treated in the city of Shenyang. Liu had been incarcerated at Jinzhou Penitentiary in Liaoning, his home province in northeast China, before being moved to the hospital for treatment. Liu’s wife, Liu Xia, has been under house arrest since he won the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2010 and has reportedly suffered from depression. She has not been formally charged with a crime. Liu was not allowed to attend his father-in-law's funeral last year and his mother-in-law's funeral this year, Reuters reported. Rights group Amnesty International also confirmed the news of Liu's illness in a tweet. (Reuters) × Amnesty International’s China Researcher, William Nee, said authorities should ensure Liu was receiving adequate medical care and he called for the immediate and unconditional release of Liu and his wife. "Obviously, it’s a shameful situation and it’s incredibly sad to see one of China’s most prominent intellectuals suffer from such a terrible illness when he never should’ve been detained in the first place,” Nee said.

Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo released from prison after cancer diagnosis

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