Asia-Pacific News

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei released - report

Jun 22, 2011, 14:56 GMT

Beijing - Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, detained since April 3, has been released, the news agency Xinhua reported, citing a Beijing police department statement.

The police said he was 'released on bail because of his good attitude in confessing his crimes as well as a chronic disease he suffers from,' the Xinhua report said.

Police added that the decision came since Ai had repeatedly said he would be paying taxes he had evaded, the report said.

Beijing police alleged that the Beijing Fake Cultural Development Ltd., a company Ai controlled, was found to have evaded a huge amount of taxes and intentionally destroyed accounting documents, Xinhua report said.

Further details were not immediately available.

Ai, a renowned rights activist, was detained in April as he was preparing to board a flight to Hong Kong from Beijing's Capital International Airport, with his arrest triggering a wave of protests internationally.