Rights groups have welcomed China's
release of five activists who were held for more than a month, saying it
was driven by an international outcry.
The women, who had planned
protests against sexual harassment, were detained shortly before
International Women's Day on 8 March. The US, UK and European Union had all called for their release.
The five have not been charged but their bail conditions mean charges could be brought at a later date.
Their lawyer, Liang Xiaojun, said they would need to regularly update the authorities on their whereabouts.
Human Rights Watch's Maya Wang said on Twitter that their release "shows international pressure works on China, when it is strong enough", and that the authorities should "cease harassment".
Amnesty International's William Nee said in a statement that the release was "an encouraging breakthrough", but that "the authorities must now follow through and drop all charges and restrictions against the women".
Lu Jun, the co-founder of Chinese campaign group Yirenping - which some of the women were involved with - said their detention was "a glaring injustice", but that advocacy for the release has "actually furthered legal protection of women's rights and strengthened the rule of law in China".
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