The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Peace prize winner’s ashes lowered into sea
SHENYANG, CHINA — Relatives of Liu Xiaobo scattered the Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s ashes into the sea on Saturday in a memorial closely orchestrated by the Chinese government following his death from cancer while in state custody.
Liu’s supporters said the move was intended by the authoritarian government to permanently erase any traces of China’s best-known political prisoner, who died Thursday at the age of 61.
The sea burial took place Saturday at noon, just hours after his cremation, a spokesman for the northeastern city of Shenyang, where Liu died, told reporters.
Liu’s elder brother, also addressing reporters at the briefing, thanked the Communist Party and the government for its handling of his brother’s funeral. The brother, Liu Xiaoguang, is regarded by Liu’s friends as having long been unsupportive of Liu’s political advocacy.
Liu died from multiple organ failure following a battle with liver cancer while serving an 11-year sentence for incitement to subvert state power. In the run-up to his death, Beijing faced mounting international criticism for not letting him and his wife travel abroad for treatment, as he had wished.
The government held two briefings Saturday and provided photos of the funeral and the sea burial, the latest moves in a propaganda campaign seemingly aimed at countering criticism that it had failed to handle Liu’s illness in a humanitarian way.
Activists and friends of the family said the sea burial appeared to be Beijing’s way of removing every last physical trace of Liu, avoiding a gravesite that could become a focal point for protests.
“The government’s thinking is that in this way, they can destroy the body and remove all traces of him,” dissident and family friend Hu Jia said by phone.
“After all, he’s a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and he died after being suppressed by the authorities,” Hu said. “The authorities are very worried that a grave would be the focal point of the public’s actions to memorialize him, which could easily turn into protests.”
Activist filmmaker and friend Zeng Jinyan said the sea burial would not deter supporters from commemorating Liu’s life.
“Now, Liu Xiaobo is everywhere,” Zeng said. “Twothirds of the Earth’s surface is covered by the sea and I can foresee that in the future, activists and ordinary people will go to the sea and memorialize Liu Xiaobo.”
In Hong Kong, thousands of Liu’s supporters and activists attended a candlelight vigil Saturday to mourn his death. Supporters paid their respects by observing a minute of silence and marching through the streets holding lit candles.
Liu was in prison when he was awarded the Nobel in 2010, which Beijing condemned as an affront to its political and legal systems.