China artist Ai Weiwei released

[emezico]

Detained Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has been freed, state media report.

He was released on bail after pleading guilty to charges of tax evasion, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

An outspoken critic of China's human rights record, Mr Ai was arrested in April in Beijing as he boarded a flight for Hong Kong.

Beijing alleges he had evaded taxes and destroyed evidence; its critics say the charges are motivated by his activism.

Xinhua reported that Mr Ai - who it said was suffering from "chronic illness" - had offered to repay the taxes and would be released because of "his good attitude in confessing his crimes".

The artist gained international recognition in the early 1980s for his monolithic brick sculptures.


BBC