A well-known human rights lawyer was released on Thursday after spending three years in a Chinese prison.

Gao Zhisheng, 50, was arrested in December 2011 on charges of inciting subversion of state power, according to the Xinhua news agency. He was held at a remote prison in the western region of Xinjiang.

Like Us on Facebook

In a phone interview with Reuters, Gao Zhiyi confirmed the release of his brother, saying that Gao Zhisheng is free and is staying "at his father-in-law's house."

It was nott the first time that the 50-year-old lawyer had been in prison.

Since 2006, Gao Zhisheng was sendt to prison several times. He spent many times in several extrajudicial facilities where he said he was tortured.

Chinese authorities said refuted Gao's claim of torture and said that the practice remains illegal in China.

The Beijing-based lawyer is known as a campaigner of religious freedom in China. Gao Zhisheng's arrest and treatment while he's in prison attracted the attention of many human rights advocates all over the world.

A resident of the Urumqi province in the Xinjiang region, Gao Zhisheng campaigned for the religious freedom of Falun Gong, a religious group banned in China. In addition, the lawyer also defended many villagers who had property disputes with authorities.

Geng He, Gao's wife, told reporters in San Francisco that she was able to talk to her husband on the phone. She told reporters that Gao's voice over the phone sounded weak.

Geng told reporters how her heart about the matter remains heavy. She said Gao is still being persecuted considering he is not in good health.

Aside from his wife, Gao Zhisheng's two children, ages 21 and 10, are also living in the United States.

TagsNews, arrest, Imprisonment, prison release, Gao Zhisheng, Human Rights, China human rights