A Rwandan court has freed the American attorney Peter Erlinder nearly three weeks after his arrest. The Minnesota-based Erlinder is a lawyer at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and a past president of the National Lawyers Guild. He was jailed shortly after arriving in Rwanda to help with the legal defense of an opposition presidential candidate. Erlinder was accused of violating laws barring denial of the Rwanda genocide. Rwandan government critics say the laws have been used to silence political opposition. On Thursday, Erlinder was freed on health grounds after four hospitalizations since his arrest. His attorney, Ken Ogeto, said Erlinder is free to return home.

Ken Otego: “We’re very happy about it. The bail was given without any conditions. The only condition, actually, is that he’s got to leave an address here, which means he can travel back to the United States of America. Prosecution was given the authorization to proceed with their investigations. We don’t know how they’re going to do it, but our client is willing to come back anytime they need him, absolutely no problem.”