Hospital: Liu Xiaobo’s condition life threatening

Imprisoned Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo is in respiratory failure and his condition is now life-threatening, according to an announcement Wednesday by hospital officials. An online statement by First Hospital of China Medical University said Liu’s family had refused to allow doctors to insert a tracheostomy for breathing support. Guards are keeping a close eye on family members, who have been kept out of sight of supporters and the media. Lui, who has late-stage liver cancer and also suffers from renal failure, septic shock, and blood clots, asked to leave China with his wife for treatment abroad. On Saturday, two Western doctors—one from the United States and one from Germany—evaluated Lui and said he was stable enough to travel. Supporters and political leaders from the United States, Germany, Britain, France and others have urged China to release him. But Chinese officials insist Lui is too sick to travel and is getting the best medical care available