China cremates body of jailed Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo

SHENYANG, China (AP) — China cremated the body of imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, who died this week after a battle with liver cancer amid international criticism of Beijing for not letting him travel abroad as he had wished.

The government of the city of Shenyang in northeastern China, where Liu had been treated for advanced liver cancer, said in a briefing that the cremation took place Saturday morning in a ceremony attended by family and friends.

The wife and other family members of China's bestknown political prisoner have been closely guarded by Chinese authorities and largely out of contact with the outside world.

Liu died Thursday from multiple organ failure that followed a battle with liver cancer while serving an 11-year sentence for incitement to subvert state power. He was 61.

Foreign governments and Liu's supporters had urged China to release Liu and his wife to allow them to seek treatment abroad but Beijing dismissed those requests.

Tributes have rolled in from around the world to mourn Liu, but there is little mention of him in China's heavily-censored state media and social networking platforms. One notable exception was a report by a newspaper published by the ruling Communist Party, which on Friday dismissed Liu as a pawn of the West whose legacy will soon fade.

The newspaper's editorial marked a rare mention of Liu in the Chinese-language media, possibly indicating a desire to guide popular opinion amid widespread reporting of his death overseas s and on social media platforms such as Twitter that are blocked in China.

Liu lived a "tragic life" because he sought to confront Chinese mainstream society with outside support, The Global Times said in its editorial headlined "Liu Xiaobo a victim led astray by West."

"Liu's last days were politicized by the forces overseas. They used Liu's illness as a tool to boost their image and demonize China," the paper said.

"The West has bestowed upon Liu a halo, which will not linger," it said. "By granting him the Nobel Prize, the West has 'kidnapped' Liu. However, the West only puts a halo on those useful to them."

While Liu did have considerable renown abroad — official censorship made him virtually a non-person at home — the party frequently uses the specter of Western manipulation to demonize its critics.

"Liu lived in an era when China witnessed the most rapid growth in recent history, but he attempted to confront Chinese mainstream society under Western support. This has determined his tragic life," the paper continued. "If he could live longer, he would never have achieved political goals that are in opposition to the path of history."