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Chinese authorities on Thursday released Tibetan activist Tashi Wangchuk from prison after he completed a five-year term for discussing language restrictions with Western media, but rights groups expressed concerns about his health and safety amid ongoing controls on his freedom.
One of Wangchuk’s lawyers, Liang Xiaojun, announced in a tweet that staffers from the Justice Bureau had taken the activist to his sister’s home in Trindu (in Chinese, Chenduo) county, in Qinghai province’s Yulshul (Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and that his family members said, “he’s in good health.”
However, Liang noted that he had been unable to meet with Wangchuk or directly contact his family and had not seen a photo of him after his release, and therefore is unsure “whether or not he is fully free.”