Beijing: China is trying to "force" the jailed dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo to go on exile abroad by putting pressure on his wife, Liu Xia who is kept under house arrest, according to a media report Tuesday.
"The government is trying to force Liu Xiaobo to leave China by taking his wife`s personal freedom away," BBC quoted friends and fellow activists of Liu, 56, as saying.
At the same time, the government threatens both their families, saying if they try to speak to the media or leak any information their right to visit Liu Xiaobo will be taken away.
"This is very cruel. It has forced the family to keep quiet," they said.
But, the family friend added, Liu Xiaobo will not agree to leave China, despite the fact that his prison term lasts until 2020.
"The government has always wanted Liu Xiaobo to leave China because the fact that a Nobel Peace Prize winner is in jail, is a constant reminder of China`s poor human rights situation," the report said.
"When previous dissidents have left China their voices gradually fade and their influence disappears. That`s why Liu Xiaobo insists he`ll stay even if it means staying in jail. Remaining in China is what`s significant for him," it said.
In May this year, China had permitted blind activist Chen Guangcheng, who was at the centre of an extraordinary diplomatic crisis between China and US after he sneaked into US Embassy here to go to New York as wished by him.
PTI
