Follow Up of the Day: According to a report from China’s state-run media, detained artist Ai Weiwei has been freed on bail after pleading guilty to tax evasion charges.
Xinhua says the 54-year-old Ai, who allegedly offered to repay his back taxes, was being released due to “his good attitude in confessing his crimes.”
Despite the report, his family told BBC Chinese that they were not aware of his release. Ai’s sister, Gao Ge, who spoke with Reuters, said “There are these rumours that he has been let out on bail but we haven’t heard anything yet. We haven’t heard from Lu Qing (Ai Weiwei’s wife), but Ai Weiwei is not home yet.”
Ai was arrested on April 3rd while attempting to board a flight from Beijing to Hong Kong.
[bbcnews / reuters / image: cpak ming.]
UPDATE: Hyperallergic reports that Ai Weiwei texted his lawyer, Liu Xiaoyuan, to confirm his release.
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