Liu Xia told not to take drugs prescribed in China as German doctors express concern over her mental health
Widow of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo has been suffering serious depression after years under house arrest in Beijing
German doctors treating Liu Xia, who has suffered serious depression after years of house arrest, have expressed concerns about her condition and advised her to stop taking drugs prescribed in China, according to a long-time friend of hers.
Her frail health casts serious doubts about whether she will be able to attend a public memorial ceremony for her late husband, the Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, in central Berlin on Friday.
Berlin-based dissident writer Liao Yiwu – who spent several hours with the widow of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo since she arrived in Germany – described her as “spiritually sound but physically weak” after what he said was a diagnosis of serious depression.
“While we were walking downstairs for dinner, Liu Xia nearly fainted,” Liao told the South China Morning Post.
“Her emotions fluctuate a lot,” he said. “She is a patient. What is most important to us, her friends, is the next step [towards her recovery].”
Liu, a poet, painter and photographer, had been banned from leaving her home in Beijing since 2010, after her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while in prison.
Liu Xia, who has never been charged with any crime, saw her mental condition worsen after her husband died from cancer aged 61.
