Beijing (CNN) Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, has arrived in Germany after fleeing Beijing, where she spent almost eight years under house arrest.

Liu Xiaobo died of lung cancer last July in a hospital in northeastern China , a month after he was granted medical parole from an 11-year prison sentence for "inciting subversion of state power."

His wife had been under varying degrees of house arrest since his Nobel award in 2010, and had been prevented from leaving the country, even for medical treatment.

She left China on Tuesday for Berlin, her brother Liu Hui said in a message to friends shared with CNN. Images later showed Liu Xia arriving at Helsinki International Airport. She was later seen being whisked away in a van from the runway at Berlin Airport.

Liu Xia, the widow of Chinese Nobel dissident Liu Xiaobo, smiles as she arrives at the Helsinki International Airport in Vantaa, Finland, on Tuesday.

"My sister left Beijing midday today. She is flying to Europe to start her life anew," he said. "I'm grateful for all those who cared about and helped her over the years. I also pray that our parents and my brother-in-law will continue to bless her. I hope her life from now on is filled with peace and happiness."

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