The First Hospital of China Medical University in Shengyang said in a statement July 10 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo's condition has worsened, according to Reuters.
The hospital released a statement about the 61-year-old's condition, stating in addition to his advanced liver cancer diagnosis, he is also suffering from "kidney problems, with an increasingly swollen stomach, partial intestinal obstruction and falling blood pressure, and that … it [is] not appropriate to treat him with radiotherapy," according to Reuters. Officials also said Mr. Liu's family has been notified of his condition.
The news comes one day after visiting cancer specialists from Germany and the United States said Mr. Liu could safely be moved overseas for treatment, but needed to do so soon, the Reuters report states. The physicians also said Mr. Liu may be able to receive "additional treatment options," including radiotherapy.
When asked about Mr. Liu's potential transfer overseas during a press briefing Monday, a spokesperson for the Chinese government said: "China hopes relevant countries will respect China's sovereignty and will not use individual cases to interfere with China's internal affairs," according to Reuters.
Chinese officials previously denied Mr. Liu's request to retrieve treatment abroad.
Mr. Liu was sentenced to serve 11 years in prison in 2009 for "inciting subversion of state power" and calling for political reform in China. He was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer in May and granted parole from prison to a hospital in June.
In 2010, Mr. Liu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his "long and nonviolent struggle for fundamental human rights in China," The New York Times reports.