Ai Weiwei to get a six-month British visa
July 31, 2015
British officials on Friday apologized for withholding a long-term visa for Ai Weiwei and decided to issue a six-month-long permit for Ai to visit their country after Home Secretary Theresa May intervened.
"The Home Secretary was not consulted over the decision to grant Mr. Ai a one-month visa. She has reviewed the case and has now instructed Home Office officials to issue a full six-month visa," a spokeswoman for the interior ministry said.
"We have written to Mr. Ai for the inconvenience caused," she added.
Ai got back his passport from the Chinese government last week and arrived in Germany on Thursday (pictured above), where he directed the film "Berlin, I Love You" via Skype. The maestro also held an official position in the Berlin University of Arts since April 2011.
He was scheduled to visit London for an exhibition of his work at the Royal Academy of Arts, but received only a short visa for the purpose. On the same day he landed in Munich, Ai posted a letter from the British embassy online, saying the government was giving him a 20-day visa because he failed to disclose a criminal case.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was also due to arrive in Britain in October, fuelling accusations that British Prime Minister David Cameron was putting trade before human rights in dealing with Beijing.
In 2011, Ai was arrested after Chinese officials accused him of withholding tax. He was detained for 81 days and bail conditions were imposed on him for a further year. Human rights activists accused China of politically persecuting the 57-year-old artist. Ai has never been criminally convicted in his country.
mg/jlw (dpa, AP, Reuters)