BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo has been hospitalized after developing late-stage liver cancer while in prison, reports said.
His lawyer says after being diagnosed a month ago, the jail authorities moved the 61-year old human rights fighter to a hospital in the city of Shenyang in northern Liaoning Province, where he is currently receiving treatment.
Liu, who organized the release of Charter '08, a proposal for fundamental legal and political reform in China, and published several articles criticizing the government, was arrested in December 2008.
He was indicted for 'inciting subversion of state power,' a charge that could lead to imprisonment of up to 15 years.
He had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, but could not receive it as he was confined to prison. Xiaobo's wife Liu Xia has been under illegal house arrest since October 2010.
An artist and poet, she has been living in enforced isolation at her Beijing home with all forms of communication, including phone and internet, cut off.
According to unofficial reports, Liu Xia and Liu Xiaobo have been allowed to meet twice a year.
Responding to the news, Amnesty International called on the Chinese authorities to immediately ensure that Liu Xiaobo receives adequate medical care, effective access to his family and unconditional release.
In 2013, more than 450,000 people from 130 countries signed a petition created by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to demand the couple's immediate release. The petition was launched in solidarity with a letter signed by 134 Nobel laureates demanding Liu's freedom.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX