the "premature" death +prominent democracy advocate, 61, died +Officials ignored international pleas +he became terminally ill +from prison to a heavily guarded hospital +OSLO: The Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Thursday that China bears a "heavy responsibility" forof 2010 Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo Thewhile still in custody following a battle with cancer.to let him spend his final days free and abroad. "We find it deeply disturbing that Liu Xiaobo was not transferred to a facility where he could receive adequate medical treatment before," Berit Reiss-Andersen, who chairs the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in a statement. "The Chinese government bears heavy responsibility for his premature death. "We now have to come to terms with the fact that his chair will forever remain empty," Reiss-Andersen added. "At the same time it is our deep conviction that Liu Xiaobo will remain a powerful symbol for all who fight for freedom, democracy and a better world."

Source: Times of India July 13, 2017 15:59 UTC