Nobel Peace Prize-winning dissident Liu Xiaobo, who is hospitalized with the late-stage liver cancer, is in "critical" condition, his hospital said Monday, and doctors are in “active rescue'' mode for China's best-known political prisoner.
Mr Liu, 61, was moved from prison -- where he spent almost eight years -- to a hospital in the northeastern city of Shenyang recently after being diagnosed with liver cancer.
His condition has worsened despite the use of targeted therapy as the cancer cells had spread and his liver function dropped, according to his family's account.
A literary critic and university lecturer, Mr Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison in December 2009 for "inciting subversion of state power" by helping draft a blueprint for political change, known as Charter 08, calling for democracy, human rights and rule of law in China.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.
The First Hospital of China Medical University said in a statement Monday that Mr Liu, who has liver cancer, is suffering from a severely swollen stomach, low blood pressure and poor kidney function. An MRI scan also revealed growing cancer lesions.
Mr Liu's health has been the subject of international attention after the dissident expressed a desire to be transported abroad for treatment.
Two Western doctors visited Mr Liu and said on Sunday that they deemed him strong enough to be evacuated, apparently contradicting Chinese expert opinion. The Western doctors said the evacuation would need to take place soon before Mr Liu's condition deteriorates further.