BEIJING, Sept 20 (AFP) - Detained Chinese AIDS activist Wan Yanhai was released on Friday after confessing to "illegally leaking state secrets", his wife and China's official media said.
Wan, one of China's most prominent AIDS campaigners, had been held in custody by Chinese authorities since August 25, sparking a wave of condemnation from international rights groups.
The 38-year-old is the founder and driving force behind the AIDS Action Project, a private group pushing for the rights of China's AIDS sufferers.
His wife confirmed Wan's release and said she expected him to now spend "more time" in the United States, where she is currently a student, based in California.
"He telephoned me last night (Thursday California time) to say he was free," Su Zhaosheng told AFP.
"He said that he will be back in America by the end of October. He also said he that he will be spending more time in America," she said.
A series of international rights groups have loudly protested Wan's detention -- which was never previously confirmed -- but China's official media insisted he was guilty of a serious crime.
According to the Xinhua news agency, Wan was "admonished" and released Friday after "confessing to his crimes and agreeing to cooperate with police in the investigation".
The activist had been suspected of illegally leaking state secrets overseas, the agency said, citing what an official with the State Information Office told another state media organ, the China News Service.
"The official revealed that Wan had delivered some illegally-acquired interior classified documents of relevant state departments to overseas individuals, media sources and websites on August 17, 2002," the report said.
"After being investigated, Wan confessed to his unlawful activities, pleaded guilty and assisted the police in tracing providers of the illegal secrets," it added.
Wan's supporters had said the activist had most likely been arrested for posting on the Internet a confidential government report detailing a scandal over HIV-contaminated blood in Henan province.
Vast numbers of people in the central region, mainly poor villagers, contracted HIV from the mid-1980s from the activities of blood collectors using appallingly unsanitary measures.
The AIDS Action Project has been outspoken in pushing for the rights of these people, who overseas groups say Beijing has often tried to ignore.
Su said that her husband "did not say too much" about his arrest or why he had been freed.
"He did not really talk about it," she said, adding that her husband was not being exiled from China.
"He did not say that, but he will spend more time in America," she said.
"I am very happy, I hope he can come back to me soon. I don't want him to stay there (China) much more time."
Beijing had previously refused to tell Su what had happened to her husband. Xinhua said Friday that under China's criminal code, news of an arrest can be withheld "for the sake of the investigation or at the request of the detainee".
The agency additionally slammed foreign media coverage of the case.
"Wan was detained for violating Chinese laws and for being suspected of illegally providing state secrets overseas," it quoted the unnamed official as saying, adding that Beijing attached "great importance" to efforts in combating AIDS.
Overseas media "made a great noise about Wan's case, which was both groundless and irresponsible", the official added.
Earlier this month, China's health ministry announced that there are estimated to be about a million people carrying the HIV virus, which causes AIDS, a figure which could rise tenfold before the end of the decade.
In June the United Nations said China could already have around 1.5 million HIV carriers and faces an "AIDS catastrophe" if a swift action is not taken.
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