Participants, one wearing a Tibetan flag, hold photos of Liu Xiaobo during a vigil honoring Xiaobo鈥檚 legacy and to protest continued human rights abuses in China, Thursday, July 13, 2017, in New York. China鈥檚 most prominent political prisoner died Thursday of liver cancer at 61. AP
PARIS鈥擶orld leaders hailed Chinese Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo as a brave fighter for human rights after his death on Thursday following a battle with cancer.
Liu, a government critic and thorn in the side of the authorities for decades, died in custody, having been sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for 鈥渟ubversion鈥�.
READ: Chinese political prisoner Liu Xiaobo dies at age 61
His death also brought criticism for Chinese authorities who refused international pleas to let him receive treatment abroad.
Nobel committee
鈥淲e find it deeply disturbing that Liu Xiaobo was not transferred to a facility where he could receive adequate medical treatment before he became terminally ill,鈥� Berit Reiss-Andersen, who chairs the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in a statement.
鈥淭he Chinese government bears a heavy responsibility for his premature death.鈥�
READ: China bears 鈥榟eavy responsibility鈥� for death of Xiabao 鈥� Nobel committee
No criticism, just warm tributes
Rather than comment on the Chinese writer and dissident 鈥� who died of cancer while under guard in hospital 鈥� as they took questions from reporters in Paris, US president Donald Trump and French leader Emmanuel Macron released warm tributes later.
However during the press event, Trump described Xi as a friend and patriot.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a friend of mine. I have great respect for him,鈥� Trump said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten to know each other very well. A great leader. He鈥檚 a very talented man. I think he鈥檚 a very good man. He loves China. I can tell you. He loves China.鈥�
That praise was echoed by Macron, who described as 鈥渆xtremely fruitful and positive鈥� his first contacts with Xi.
The French leader later remembered Liu in a tweet, praising him as 鈥渁 freedom fighter鈥� and saying his thoughts were with his family.
Several hours later, the White House also released a statement.
鈥淧resident Donald J. Trump was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent Chinese political prisoner Liu Xiaobo,鈥� it said.
The presidents of the United States and France praised their Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at a press conference Thursday, avoiding criticism of Beijing over Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo鈥檚 death.
Rather than comment on the Chinese writer and dissident 鈥� who died of cancer while under guard in hospital 鈥� as they took questions from reporters in Paris, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron released warm tributes later.
However during the press event, Trump described Xi as a friend and patriot.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a friend of mine. I have great respect for him,鈥� Trump said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten to know each other very well. A great leader. He鈥檚 a very talented man. I think he鈥檚 a very good man. He loves China. I can tell you. He loves China.鈥�
That praise was echoed by Macron, who described as 鈥渆xtremely fruitful and positive鈥� his first contacts with Xi.
The French leader later remembered Liu in a tweet, praising him as 鈥渁 freedom fighter鈥� and saying his thoughts were with his family.
Several hours later, the White House also released a statement.
鈥淧resident Donald J. Trump was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent Chinese political prisoner Liu Xiaobo,鈥� it said.
鈥淭he president鈥檚 heartfelt condolences go out to Liu Xiaobo鈥檚 wife, Liu Xia, and his family and friends. A poet, scholar, and courageous advocate, Liu Xiaobo dedicated his life to the pursuit of democracy and liberty.鈥�
Earlier, Trump鈥檚 Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had praised Liu and called for his wife, poet Liu Xia, to be released. She has been has been under house arrest since 2010 but was allowed to be with him at the hospital where he died.
鈥淢r. Liu dedicated his life to the betterment of his country and humankind, and to the pursuit of justice and liberty,鈥� Tillerson said in a statement.
Germany
鈥淚 mourn Liu Xiaobo, the courageous fighter for human rights and freedom of expression,鈥� German Chancellor Angela Merkel鈥檚 spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted on her behalf.
鈥淗is family has my deep sympathies.鈥�
Germany had said it was prepared to welcome Liu for medical treatment after he was transferred from prison to hospital after a terminal liver cancer diagnosis.
United Nations
鈥淭he human rights movement in China and across the world has lost a principled champion who devoted his life to defending and promoting human rights, peacefully and consistently, and who was jailed for standing up for his beliefs,鈥� the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra鈥檃d Al Hussein, said in a statement.
鈥淟iu Xiaobo was the true embodiment of the democratic, non-violent ideals he so ardently advocated.鈥�
European Union
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and EU president Donald Tusk said in a joint statement that they had learned of Liu鈥檚 death 鈥渨ith deep sadness鈥�.
鈥淲e appeal to the Chinese authorities to allow his wife, Ms Liu Xia and his family to bury Liu Xiaobo at a place and in a manner of their choosing, and to allow them to grieve in peace,鈥� Juncker and Tusk said.
鈥淲e call on the authorities to remove all restrictions on the movement and communications of his family members.鈥�
Britain
British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson hit out at China for preventing Liu from seeking cancer treatment abroad.
鈥淟iu Xiaobo should have been allowed to choose his own medical treatment overseas, which the Chinese authorities repeatedly denied him,鈥� Johnson said in a statement.