Beijing ( CNN ) A day after the Chinese government released five young feminists on bail , their families and supporters expressed mixed emotions on the unexpected development . Wei Tingting , Wang Man , Zheng Churan , Li Tingting and Wu Rongrong were freed from the Haidian Detention Center on the outskirts of Beijing late Monday . The five activists on women 's rights -- aged from 25 to 32 -- were picked up by police in three different cities just before March 8 , the International Women 's Day . They had been planning a campaign against sexual harassment on public transportation . `` I 'm still speechless and do n't know how to react , '' tweeted Li 's girlfriend Suan Xiaola to the couple 's friends upon hearing the news . `` No tears , no ecstasy ... just wondering what we 're going to do next . '' `` I ca n't hide my happiness for the women but being released on bail is not the end of their ordeal , '' echoed Li 's lawyer Yan Xin on Chinese social media . `` Without closing their cases , they still ca n't live without shackles -- we 'll have our work cut out for us . '' Police had recommended last week that prosecutors press charges of `` assembling a crowd to disturb public order , '' which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison . The women are still considered suspects in an ongoing criminal investigation and may face charges in the future , Wu 's lawyer Liang Xiaojun told CNN . They will be under surveillance for a year with their movements and activities restricted , and police can summon them for questioning at any time , Liang added . `` This should n't be a moment of celebration , '' he said . `` The arbitrary detention and release of these women really shows the backwardness of China 's legal system . '' Under China 's household registration system , only Li is considered a Beijing resident . Police sent the other four back to their hometowns , disrupting their work and lives , according to the women 's lawyers . Many have called the five members of Women 's Rights Action Group trailblazers . Staging their protests through performance art or flash mobs , they highlighted feminist causes ranging from fighting domestic violence , gender equality at work , to more female public bathrooms -- drawing nationwide attention and even state media praise . Their detention had drawn widespread condemnation , including from the United States . `` 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 , '' said John Kerry , the U.S. Secretary of State , in a statement Friday . `` We strongly support the efforts of these activists to make progress on these challenging issues , and we believe that Chinese authorities should also support them , not silence them . '' Kerry 's predecessor Hillary Clinton -- a longtime champion of women 's rights who just announced her bid for the U.S. presidency -- called the jailing of the feminists `` inexcusable '' on Twitter , joining the `` free the five '' hashtag campaign . China had rejected all international criticisms , insisting it 's a country ruled by law and that its judicial sovereignty be respected . Supporters of the woman activists , however , sense the chilling effect of their ordeal on China 's nascent civil society , as the ruling Communist Party under President Xi Jinping continues to tighten its grip over the country . `` Of course people will feel more afraid , '' said Wei 's lawyer Wang Qiushi . `` Women 's rights is among the most politically correct issues in China -- now even those who took up that cause ended up in jail . ''
Wei Tingting , Wang Man , Zheng Churan , Li Tingting and Wu Rongrong freed . They 're still considered suspects in an ongoing criminal investigation , may face charges in the future . They will be under surveillance for a year with their movements and activities restricted .