Outspoken lawyer let out of detention

An outspoken Beijing lawyer who was granted bail on Sunday may avoid prosecution if he pays a fine for tax evasion, his attorney said yesterday.

Although Xu Zhiyong was allowed to walk from a Beijing detention center on Sunday after being locked up since late July, authorities have not abandoned the accusations of tax evasion that led to his detention.

"If Xu pays the fine for tax evasion, it's likely he will not face prosecution," said Zhou Ze, Xu's lawyer. "I believe he won't be in other kinds of trouble."