Family: China denies prison visits to Nobel winner

[December 17, 2010]  BEIJING (AP) -- The Chinese prison where Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo is held has suspended visits by his family, and his wife remains under house arrest a week after the award ceremony, a human rights group said Friday.

Such new restrictions, if confirmed, would represent another punishment for Liu and his family by Chinese authorities furious at the political prisoner being awarded this year's peace prize. Any suspension of visits also would contradict Chinese laws allowing all prisoners one family visit per month.

Liu's brother Liu Xiaoguang told the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights & Democracy that the Jinzhou prison formally notified the family of the suspension recently. The rights center announced it on the family's behalf.

China's ruling Communist Party reacted angrily at the Nobel award for a man it considers a common criminal. Authorities kept dozens of Liu supporters from leaving the country to attend the ceremony, put others under house arrest around the time of the ceremony and lobbied other governments not to attend.

Liu's absence at the prize ceremony Dec. 10 in Oslo, Norway, was marked by an empty chair.

Another empty chair was for Liu's wife, Liu Xia. Her father and Liu Xiaoguang told the rights center she remains under house arrest and can't even go out to buy vegetables. Her father said he and his wife cannot visit her.

Liu Xia's mobile phone and Internet access have been cut off since a few days after her husband's Nobel prize was announced in mid-October.

On the day of the Nobel ceremony, uniformed police barred entry to her upscale compound in downtown Beijing whose residents include officials from China's Finance Ministry.

There was no visible police presence at Liu's building Friday, but an Associated Press reporter was turned away from the lobby by men who said they were with the apartment compound's management.

Liu's lawyer, Shang Baojun, said Friday he was not able to reach Liu Xia. "So there's no way to confirm anything," he said.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, Richard Buangan, said American officials are following Liu Xia's case closely. "We believe that Liu Xia's rights should be respected and she should be allowed to move freely without harassment," Buangan said.

Chinese law entitles a prisoner to a family visit once a month, but Liu Xiaobo apparently had no visit last month.

"I can only say there's nothing that can be done," lawyer Shang said. "The law states that his family should be allowed to meet him."

Liu Xiaoguang also say his brothers haven't received a single letter from Liu. The rights center said it thinks the prison is confiscating Liu's letters.

Liu Xia's father said he didn't know why his daughter is under such close watch now that the peace prize ceremony has passed.

Many of the Liu supporters were put under house arrest or taken on a "vacation" outside Beijing around the time of the peace prize ceremony, but some have since re-emerged.

[Associated Press; By CARA ANNA]

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