14 July 2017, 02:24 GMT
BEIJING (Sputnik) – Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo's funeral urn has been submerged in ocean waters in accordance with local tradition, local media reported Saturday.
The traditional ceremony took place after Liu’s cremation in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, the Xinhua news agency reported.
Before the cremation, Liu’s widow and friend paid last respects to him.
Liu Xiaobo died in a hospital in the city of Shenyang of the Liaoning province, were he was undergoing treatment after being diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer in May.
In this image taken from video provided by the Shenyang Municipal Information Office, an urn containing the ashes of imprisoned Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo is lowered into the sea off the coast of Dalian in northeastern China's Liaoning Province, Saturday, July 15, 2017
© AP Photo / Shenyang Municipal Information
In 2009, Liu was detained by Chinese authorities for "inciting subversion of state power," a year after publishing the Charter 08 manifesto that promoted democratic reforms in the country. Liu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 for "his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China," at a time when he was serving his fourth prison term in China. In June, Liu was granted medical parole after his cancer diagnosis, according to his lawyer.
The Chinese government’s actions against Liu have repeatedly become an issue between Beijing and Western capitals that called for the release of the human rights activist. The Chinese Foreign Ministry usually replied to the demands with reminders that it would not tolerate interference in China’s internal affairs.
