Den politiske fange Jigme Gyatso er løsladt et år før tiden, formentlig på grund af dårligt helbred, og angiveligt efter at være udsat for tortur i Himalaya-landet, som Kina indlemmede efter besættelsen for over 60 år siden.
Mr Gyatso was jailed in 1996 on charges of separatism and endangering national security and is thought to be suffering from kidney (nyre) problems, BBC online writes Tuesday.
Human rights groups say he was tortured in prison. Mr Gyatso returned to his home in Gansu province after his release from Chusul prison near Tibet’s capital, Lhasa.
The 52-year-old former monk appeared “very weak” after he was released on Saturday, says the US-backed Radio Free Asia (RFA) broadcaster.
Friends say he walked with a limp (krykke) and was complaining of heart, vision and other problems related to poor nutrition and lack of medical care, RFA adds.
Rights organisations had called for his release. He was one of the region’s better known political prisoners.
He was initially sentenced to 15 years, but got his prison term extended by three years in 2004 after he reportedly shouted slogans in support of the Dalai Lama in jail.
