article_snippet.sent: Beijing (CNN)Chinese police on Monday released five female activists who were detained last month, family and friends of the women tell CNN.
article_snippet.sent: Wu Rongrong were freed.
article_snippet.sent: The five members of China's Women's Rights Action Group were detained in Beijing, Guangzhou and Hangzhou a few days before events planned for International Women's Day on March 8.
article_snippet.sent: The United States had urged China to free The five members of China's Women's Rights Action Group, and the international community harshly criticized keeping the women in custody.
article_snippet.sent: Each and every one of us has the right to speak out against sexual harassment and the many other injustices that millions of women and girls suffer around the world," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement Friday.
article_snippet.sent: We strongly support the efforts of these activists to make progress on these challenging issues, and We believe that Chinese authorities should also support Chinese authorities, not silence Chinese authorities."
article_snippet.sent: "Free the five" became a Twitter hashtag.
highlights_snippet.sent: The international community has harshly criticized keeping the women in custody .