Dr. Liu Xiaobo passed away; but the fight is not over

We are devastated to hear of the death of Dr. Liu Xiaobo's death at 5:25 pm (Beijing time), 13 July 2017. The news of his passing had been withheld by the authorities until his body had been secretly spirited away, guarded by police vehicles; family members have been placed under tight surveillance and are not allowed to speak to the outside world; Dr. Liu's last word to his wife has, infuriatingly, been related to the public by a hospital official at a press release, instead of by Ms. Liu Xia herself. Chinese authorities is now pressuring the family to cremated Dr. Liu and to scatter his ashes to the sea. Notice about Dr. Liu issued by the hospital has been taken down from the website immediately. Friends of Dr. Liu has been warned by National Security not to attempt to go to Shenyang. Citizens posting on social media about Dr. Liu have their posts censored and taken down. It seems that the Chinese government is determined to erased all traces of Dr. Liu Xiaobo from both physical and online spaces. But they cannot erase him from our memory and from history. We are determined to see Dr. Liu Xiaobo's life, contribution and sacrifice be remembered. You can read our obituary for Dr. Liu here: http://www.saveliuxiaobo.com/2017/07/blog-post_13.html You are also invited to join in the "Dr. Liu Xiaobo Memorial Alliance", which will work to organise memorial for Dr. Liu and to collected, preserved and published his work. You can find the sign up form here: https://goo.gl/p27i2Q Dr. Liu is no more; but the fight is not over. We are very concerned about the health and situation of Dr. Liu Xiaobo's beloved wife, Liu Xia, who have already been suffering from severe depression because of long years of house arrest and harassment. Dr. Liu's last wish is for her to be free from this suffocating country; we will continue to work for her freedom and we hope you will continue to support us. You can find us on both facebook and twitter at @liuxiaobo2017. Dr. Liu Xiaobo's death is a huge loss to to democratic movement in China; yet we are nevertheless hopeful that new generation of activists will find inspiration in his story and continue the fight. As will us. With grief and hope in our heart, Freedom for Liu Xiaobo Action Group