MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Liu was tried for "inciting subversion of state power" in 2009, a year after publishing the Charter 08 manifesto calling for overhauling democratic reforms in China. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, triggering a massive diplomatic row between China and Norway, which handed out the Nobel award to Liu and honored him with an empty chair during the award ceremony.
"Strictly speaking, Liu Xiaobo is still under the control of the Chinese government, as medical parole is just a different form of serving your prison sentence," Mo Shaoping, one of the lawyers who defended Liu during his trial in 2009, said, adding that under Chinese law, medical parole is simply another form of serving one’s prison sentence if the prison does not have sufficient facility to treat the inmate’s illness.
Liu’s family members were allowed to visit him as recently as 10 days ago and confirmed that Liu was in stable condition, the lawyer said.
Mo refused to comment on whether Liu would eventually be allowed to leave China to seek cancer treatment overseas. Mo has not visited Liu in the hospital, because of a deal he made with Chinese authorities to not represent the dissident further after defending him during his appeal.
Liu’s prison term is expected to be completed by 2020.
