After more than five months of detention, prisoner of conscience Serikzhan Bilash was released from house arrest on 17 August after he pleaded guilty and agreed to stop campaigning on human rights violations in China. He will pay a fine of $300 and remain under travel restrictions for three months. Following his release, Serikzhan stated that he had accepted the terms because he was told that he would face seven years in prison if he did not. He said that his organization would continue his work after he stepped down.
