China's Prominent Activist, Hu Jia detained for Subversion Charges was released

One of China's most prominent human rights activists, Hu Jia, was released from jail on 26 June 2011. He reunited with his family after serving three-and-a-half-years in jail on subversion charges. Hu was convicted in 2008 for inciting subversion of state power.

Prior to being jailed, Hu pursued an energetic career as an environmental protection campaigner and as an advocate for rural victims of AIDS. Tipped as a potential candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, he has won overseas human rights awards from bodies such as the European Parliament.
Hu had denounced China's human rights record in a series of articles ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was later sentenced to 3.5 years in prison for inciting to subvert state power.

Hu's long-scheduled release followed the abrupt freeing from detention of the prominent artist and activist Ai Weiwei. Ai, the conceptual artist turned government critic, was released on 22 June 2011 on bail after authorities detained him for nearly three months for tax evasion.

Nobel peace laureate Liu Xiaobo, also a rights activist, was convicted of the same crime as Hu. Liu is still serving an 11-year jail term.

Activists opined that the Chinese government, worried about potential uprisings inspired by the Arab Spring, has been increasingly tightening its grip on freedom of expression. The government has been targeting not only political dissidents but also intellectuals and artists.