An outspoken Chinese artist was released from jail on Tuesday after spending nearly two years behind bars for his political activism.

Liu Jinxing, better known as Zhui Hun, was detained in May 2019 after he tried to sell his artwork to raise funds in support of political prisoners. His arrest — along with the arrests of five other prominent artists — happened days ahead of the politically sensitive anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

The Beijing-based artist was convicted of “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble” last December by the Xuanwu District People’s Court in the eastern Chinese city of Nanjing. He was sentenced to a prison term of one year and eight months.

Liu initiated a hunger strike in prison to protest his unfair trial and later became critically ill.

On Tuesday, Liu revealed on Twitter that he had been released from custody. The public security bureau returned his personal effects, tested him for COVID-19 and issued identification documents for him.

Officers “put me on a train at breakneck speed,” Liu wrote, referring to the journey from Nanjing to his Beijing home.

“To my family and friends in Beijing, Zhui Hun is back! I love you all, I miss you all to death!”

Liu’s prison term concluded on Jan. 28, but authorities continued to detain him for almost two more weeks at a hotel in Nanjing before ultimately freeing him.

In 2014, Liu expressed support for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy Umbrella Movement and was detained for nine months.

Liu is best known for his performance artwork series “Scream” and was a member of Beijing’s Songzhuang artists’ village.

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