By MASAYUKI TAKADA/ Correspondent
January 16, 2023 at 16:20 JST
Tang Jitian (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Chinese authorities released prominent human rights activist Tang Jitian from detention after he had been held since December 2021, several supporters said.
Tang, 54, returned to his hometown in Jilin province, northeast China, on Jan. 14, according to the supporters.
He reportedly has no major health problems, but it is believed authorities are keeping him under surveillance.
Tang was formerly a human rights lawyer, but judicial authorities revoked his license to practice law in 2010.
He was detained in Beijing in December 2021 and had since been held at a facility in Jilin province.
It’s unclear what legal process was used to detain him.
There were concerns about Tang’s health as he collapsed in the bathroom in June 2022 and suffered bleeding, including from the mouth.
His eldest daughter, Zhengqi, 26, who was studying in Japan, was found collapsed at her home in Tokyo in April 2021. She was diagnosed with meningitis and has been unconscious since May of that year.
Tang has been seeking an exit permit to visit his daughter, but authorities prohibited him from leaving China, citing national security concerns.
It is unknown whether he can now go see his daughter.
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