China frees five detained women's rights activists

Chinese police have freed five women's rights activists who were held for more than a month, in a case that sparked an international outcry.

The group, who were detained shortly before International Women's Day on 8 March, had planned protests against sexual harassment on public transport.

The women were not charged but their release was conditional, a lawyer said.

Rights group Amnesty welcomed the move but said all charges and restrictions against the women should be dropped.

The five have been freed on a type of bail that could still allow charges to be brought at a later date.

"In the eyes of the police, they are still suspects... they will need to regularly update authorities on their whereabouts," said Liang Xiaojun, one of the lawyers for the group.

Their release came as China said it had lodged a formal complaint to the US over a statement by Secretary of State John Kerry at the weekend in which he called for them to be freed unconditionally.

Analysis, Celia Hatton, Beijing

Chinese authorities waited until the last possible moment to release the so-called Beijing Five from detention. Just hours before they were legally mandated to press ahead with a formal case, or release the women, prosecutors elected not to move forward with the recommended charges of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble".

The women, now free on bail, will remain under police surveillance. The activists are part of China's Women's Rights Action Group, a loose network of volunteers who organise events promoting gender equality.

Many see the women's high-profile arrests as a red light warning to civil rights groups across China to scale down their activities.

This year's International Women's Day coincided with China's annual parliamentary session, which usually has tight security and is often preceded by the detention of activists.

The women had planned activities including a march in a Beijing park where participants would wear stickers advocating safe sex, and gatherings in Beijing and Guangzhou calling for awareness of sexual harassment on buses.

William Nee, China researcher at Amnesty International, said campaigners "should be free to advance human rights without fear of intimidation or the threat of detention".

"Yet the reality today is that rights activists are systematically monitored, harassed and suppressed."