China releases dissident Rebiya Kadeer

BEIJING, March 17 (UPI) -- The Chinese government announced the early release Thursday of jailed dissident Rebiya Kadeer for medical treatment in the United States, the BBC reported.

The 58-year-old was among the most prominent members of China's Uighur ethnic group in the largely Muslim Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. She was sentenced after a secret trial to eight years in jail in 2000 for "providing secret information to foreigners."

The reason behind her need for medical attention was not disclosed.

Hours before her release, U.S. delegates to the United Nations in Geneva announced they would not seek a U.N. resolution critical of China's human rights record.

"In the last couple of months -- in the last couple of weeks -- we have seen some significant steps, some important steps that China has taken and agreed to take, and as a result of those steps, we have decided not to introduce a resolution on China this year at the Human Rights Commission," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said in Washington.

He added, however, that China's performance would continue to be reviewed.

The release came ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Beijing Sunday.