BEIJING (AP) - The Latest on the release of the Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo’s widow, Liu Xia, from house arrest (all times local):
3:20 a.m.
The United States is welcoming the release of poet Liu Xia after eight years under house arrest but voicing concern for her brother who remains in Beijing.
Liu Xia, the widow of the late Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, arrived in Germany on Tuesday.
The State Department said it welcomed the news that Chinese authorities “allowed her to leave China as she long wished.”
It urged China “to release all prisoners of conscience, and to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals.”
The U.S. says it remains concerned about the brother, Liu Hui, and hopes he can join Liu Xia in Germany.
Authorities are still holding Liu Hui, who was convicted of fraud and imprisoned in a case supporters say was in retaliation for the attention his brother-in-law received as the 2010 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
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11:25 p.m.Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo has arrived in Germany following being freed from house arrest after eight years.She landed at Berlin’s Tegel airport on Tuesday and was taken away by car soon after she got off the plane.Liu was placed under house arrest in 2010 after her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.During an earlier stop-over in Helsinki, Finland, she was seen spreading her arms and grinning widely.The Chinese government confirmed earlier that Liu has left China for Germany, saying she is seeking medical treatment.Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Tuesday that Liu Xia departed to get “medical treatment according to her own will.” Hua provided no further information.___8 p.m.Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, free from house arrest after eight years, has emerged from a plane visibly overjoyed at an airport in Helsinki, Finland.Liu, a petite, bespectacled poet, was photographed smiling as she entered the terminal in a gray T-shirt under a black and white knit cardigan.These are the first images of Liu as a free woman since she was placed under house arrest in 2010 after her husband was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.In one image, Liu is seen spreading her arms and grinning widely.___7 p.m.Activists in Hong Kong who have been campaigning on Liu Xia’s behalf rejoiced over the news of her release Tuesday.Three pro-democracy advocates held a news conference by a bronze statue of Liu Xiaobo which they unveiled last month to commemorate the upcoming one-year anniversary of the Nobel Peace laureate’s death in Chinese custody.Activist Leung Kwok-hung said he was “nearly crying” when he heard that Liu Xia boarded a plane to Germany this morning.Leung said: “It was such good news for us since we have been here for more than one month to collect signatures for Ms. Liu Xia’s release.”But Leung also expressed worry that Liu