Outspoken China author leaves homeland for Germany

[July 08, 2011]  BEIJING (AP) -- An outspoken Chinese writer and government critic has left his homeland for Germany after police repeatedly threatened him with imprisonment to prevent him from publishing any of his controversial works overseas.

Liao Yiwu said Friday in a phone interview that he arrived in Berlin two days ago at the end of a secretive journey.

Liao says he has no immediate plans to return to China and would focus on getting new books published -- including a memoir of his experience as a political prisoner.

Liao and his work have been under government scrutiny ever since he publicly mourned those killed during a military crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989. He received a four-year jail sentence for that.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.