Democracy Activist Ai Weiwei Fight Unending Battle With Dictatorship to Express Dissent | Democracy, elections, and voting at Democracy Chronicles

Ai Weiwei says ‘cannot leave China’ as bail ends

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei said Thursday he was still barred from leaving the country despite the expiry of a one-year bail condition imposed after his release from detention last June. The outspoken 55-year-old, whose works have been exhibited in scores of countries, spent 81 days in custody.

Now, the Chinese dissident author scoops German book prize.

Chinese dissident author Liao Yiwu Thursday won the annual German Book Trade Peace Prize, earning praise for his portrayal of what the judges called “the outcasts of modern China.” The author, also known as Lao Wei, has been in Germany since 2010 after successfully defying a travel ban.