"It is my view that the case should be reviewed, and Liu Xiaobo should be released as soon as possible," she said at a news conference ahead of World Human Rights Day on Friday, which coincides with the Nobel ceremony in Oslo.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said she hoped that Chinese authorities would "come to recognise the positive contribution peaceful advocates like Liu Xiaobo can make to China's development."

"In this regard I want to say how dismayed I am by recent restrictions that China has placed on an ever widening circle of associates of Liu Xiaobo and activists and other critics," including his wife Liu Xia, she added.

The rights chief said her office had received reports in recent weeks of at least 20 activist being arrested or detained in China, as well as more than 120 cases of house arrests, travel restrictions, forced relocation and "other acts of intimidation".

China has sharply criticised the Nobel award and those who support the Chinese dissident, and claimed most of the world was opposed to the Oslo-based Nobel committee's decision to honour him.

An exiled Chinese dissident representing Liu's family has meanwhile criticised the UN rights chief for not attending Friday's ceremony for the laureate, charging she was bowing to pressure from Beijing.

However Pillay's office responded that she could not let down other lesser known human rights activists from around the world at an event she was already due to host in Geneva to mark Human Rights Day.

Pillay told journalists on Thursday that she had not been invited to the ceremony by the Nobel Committee. She added that she was not aware of any approach by the Chinese to pressure her not to attend.

"No pressure was exerted by them," she said.

Diplomats have said China pressured other governments not to send their representatives to the ceremony in the Norwegian capital.

Liu was named winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in October in recognition of "long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China," according to the Nobel committee.

Liu's wife has been under house arrest since then, other family members are under pressure not to speak publicly and many of Liu's fellow dissidents and supporters were warned not to attend or have been physically prevented from leaving China, activists have said.

Beijing launched a fresh round of criticism on Thursday against US lawmakers for supporting Liu, who was jailed in December 2009 for 11 years on subversion charges.

Liu, 54, was sent to prison after co-authoring Charter 08, a bold petition calling for reform in one-party Communist-ruled China.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Jiang Yu said the one-time professor had "instigated overthrowing China's political power and social system" and was jeopardising society.

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