“Politicians from some countries are using this opportunity (award) to attack China, This is not only disrespect to China's judicial system but also put a big question on their true intention,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said.

Beijing has reacted bitterly to the decision to award Liu the Nobel Prize. A university scholar, Liu co-authored Charter 08, a manifesto that says that full democracy in China is the only path to development.

For Chinese authorities, he is a “criminal” and the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee is contrary to the principles of the prize.

Liu asked his wife, Xia, to collect the prize on his behalf in Oslo on 10 December. However, she doubts she can. “I can't even get out of my home,” she explained, “how could I go out of the country?" In fact, she has been under de facto house arrest since the award was announced.

She has nevertheless asked her husband to write a speech for the Oslo ceremony; he told her though that it is risky and the authorities would not allow him to collect it.

In the meantime, Liu Xia confirmed that her husband’s lawyers are considering filing for a retrial. Currently, he is serving an 11-year sentence for “subversion against the state”.

“We are still deciding which way to go about it. If we do it, of course our defence will be based on a plea of not guilty,” Liu’s lawyer Shang Baojun said.

Liu was convicted for co-authoring and distributing Charter 08, a six-article manifesto that analyses the current state of the Communist Party, and calls for democratic reforms in China.

According to his lawyer, Mr Liu has the right to ask the Beijing high court for a retrial.

Moreover, Shang also said there was "no legal basis" for Liu Xia's house arrest, but it was not immediately clear if the police would allow her to meet with the lawyers.