Beijing accused of "lawlessness" for detaining Nobel winner's wife

Oct 31, 2010, 7:09 GMT

Hong Kong - A Hong Kong legislator accused China Sunday of 'sheer lawlessness' for placing the wife of Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo under house arrest.

Emily Lau suggested that many Chinese citizens were pleased by the Nobel committee's recognition of dissident Liu, who is serving an 11-year jail term for subversion.

'A Nobel prize carries a lot of weight in China and many people are eager to see a Chinese national getting the award,' Lau said on government-run radio station RTHK.

'Apart from the news blackout, the authorities also placed Mr Liu's wife, Madam Liu Xia, under house arrest. No reason has been given for the barbaric treatment. It is sheer lawlessness.'

She accused Beijing of 'siege mentality,' which she said was 'astounding and shows an utter lack of confidence.'

Lau said Chinese officials should release Liu and allow him travel to Oslo with his wife to receive the award in December, although she acknowledged that 'would probably not happen.'

The former British colony reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 under a 'one country, two systems' arrangement that allows freedoms of expression denied to people elsewhere in China.

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