Sen. Cruz: ‘Liu Xia Is Finally Free, and Today the World Celebrates Her Enjoyment of the Liberties That Were Rightfully Hers All Along’
Calls for the release of Liu Xia’s brother Liu Hui, other political prisoners
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today issued a statement following the release of Liu Xia. She, along with her late husband Dr. Liu Xiaobo, a pro-democracy dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner, have fought ceaselessly to promote democracy and freedom in China.
"Liu Xia is finally free, and today the world celebrates her enjoyment of the liberties that were rightfully hers all along," Sen. Cruz said. "The lesson of Liu Xia and her courageous husband, the late Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, who was murdered by the Communist Chinese regime, is simple yet powerful: darkness fears light and mendacity fears truth, so tyrants cannot tolerate either. We must continue to shine light on the Communist regime's abuses. Xi Jinping must release the thousands of political prisoners who still remain jailed or cannot leave China, including Liu Xia's brother Liu Hui, and I will continue to pressure his regime to do so."
Sen. Cruz has long advocated for the release of Liu Xia and her late husband, Liu Xiaobo. In addition to introducing a bill calling for Liu Xia's freedom, Sen. Cruz introduced a companion resolution with Rep. Mark Meadows honoring the life and work of Liu Xiaobo. Sen. Cruz delivered speeches on the Senate floor in July of last year, as well as September, October, and November of 2015 to call attention to Dr. Liu's plight and human rights abuses in communist China.
Sen. Cruz also led the fight to free Liu Xiaobo, author of "Charter 08", introducing a bill to rename the street in front of the Chinese embassy in Washington "Liu Xiaobo Plaza."
###
