Vietnamese authorities have released a prominent human rights activist and blogger, according to various media reports.

Bui Thi Minh Hang was greeted by supporters as she emerged from the Gia Trung prison camp in the country’s Central Highlands.

The human rights campaigner had been held in detention since August 2014 after she was sentenced to up to three years in jail on public order charges.

While she was detained, Hang reportedly went on a hunger strike for a time and also refused to wear prison uniform.

Local and international rights groups had protested against the arrest and conviction of Hang and two others in 2014.

The activists were accused of “causing public disorder” and obstructing traffic under article 245 of the penal code.

They were arrested after being assaulted by plainclothes police auxiliaries as they attempted to show support for a dissident Hoa Hao Buddhist activist who was being harassed by the authorities.

– with other agencies