Tibetan dissident arrives in US

China seized control of Tibet in 1950

A Tibetan scholar, believed to be the country's longest-serving political prisoner has arrived in the United States after being freed by the Chinese authorities.

Former teacher Tanag Jigme Sangpo, who is 76, had been in prison for most of the past 40 years.

Jigme Sangpo left prison on March 31 and has taken up residence with his niece in Lhasa

Human rights activist John Kamm

He was jailed for campaigning against Chinese rule in Tibet.

His release on medical grounds follows a number of appeals by Western governments and human rights groups.

There has been no public statement by the Chinese authorities so far.

The State Department in Washington welcomed the news.

"We are pleased China has taken this step," spokeswoman Brenda Greenberg said, saying several US administrations had pressed for his release over the years.

An archive photo of Tanag Jigme Sangpo, now 76

Mr Tanag flew to Chicago and then on to Washington DC from Beijing.

He was jailed in 1983 for 15 years for spreading and inciting "counter-revolutionary propaganda".

But his sentence was extended twice after he shouted pro- independence slogans during visits to his prison by foreign dignitaries.

He also spent much of the 1960s and 70s in prison and labour camps for criticising Chinese rule.

Overtures to US

Human rights campaigners said the timing of his release may be designed to appease critics of China's human rights records.

The Tibetan spiritual leader fled to India in 1959

In January, China released a Tibetan music scholar serving a lengthy jail term, in a move seen as a bid to improve relations with Washington ahead of President George W Bush's visit.

The man who will succeed President Jiang Zemin as Communist Party leader, Vice-President Hu Jintao, has an upcoming visit to the US.

But there is no evidence that Mr Tanag's release is linked to the visit.

Activist John Kamm, who was involved in the negotiations for Mr Tanag's release, said it was "another indication that the Chinese Government will eventually respond to international pressure".

China seized control of Tibet in 1950 - a move it describes as "peaceful liberation" and the Tibetan government-in-exile says was invasion.

Tibetan groups in exile have said thousands of people were killed when Chinese troops entered Tibet, and many others suffered human rights abuses during subsequent Chinese rule.