She lives in silence,
If you call it living,
Amidst the stillness of dolls.
Inside a shrine to a life – their life,
She stands before a window,
Before sounds,
The promise of conversation,
The body warmth
Of a friend’s embrace.
Words, unspoken, arise
Guide her through creeping nights.
She walks in a nightmare,
Unspeakable fear,
Beyond the window is another prison,
Justice may come too late.
I acknowledge Yuen Chan for translating Liu Xia’s requests from Chinese into English.
I am Zeng Jinyan, I arrived in Hong Kong from Beijing in the early hours of this morning. I am relaying the following requests from Liu Xia in an individual capacity:
1. I request the right to consult a doctor freely.
I propose that an internationally renowned psychologist from Medecins San Frontieres meet one-on-one with Liu Xia to conduct a consultation. Liu Xia was diagnosed with coronary disease in the 1990s. The imprisonment of first her husband and then her brother, as well as constant house arrest has led to a rapid deterioration in her mental state. She has persistently refused to seek medical treatment under the watch of the police, as she fears the authorities will use her this as an excuse to throw her into a psychiatric hospital.
2. I request that Liu Xiaobo and I are allowed our rights to read correspondence we write to each other.
Although Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia write to each other, it has been extremely hard for them to read the letters from one another.
3. I request the right to work and receive an income.
Liu Xia has been financially dependent on her brother Liu Hui. Liu Hui’s imprisonment has not just cut off a source of income, the legal costs have also deprived the family of a large amount of funds and brought economic hardship. This has added to the family pressure on Liu Xia, she hopes to earn an income to support the family and especially to meet the costs of Liu Hui’s son’s schooling.