Image caption Ni Yulan and her husband Dong Jiqin have fought for land rights

A disabled Chinese activist whose imprisonment caused international concern has been released from prison.

Ni Yulan, a lawyer who helped defend property rights, was freed after serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence for causing a public disturbance.

She said her illness had not been treated during her detention and she was now in poor health.

But the 54 year old insists she will fight on, and threatened to sue police and seek redress.

"If we don't fight for rights, we will just have to wait for our death," she told Reuters news agency.

"I want them to return my assets. They've torn down my home without giving any compensation, leaving us homeless."

Ni was detained during a wave of arrests in 2011 and initially received a 32-month jail sentence.

She says the charges were trumped up to stop her work defending people evicted from their homes.

Last year an appeals court in China dismissed her fraud conviction, reducing her jail time by two months. However, she remained in jail on a separate disturbance charge.

Her husband Dong Jiqin was also given a jail sentence.

Both are known for providing legal help to people whose homes have been seized by the government.

Ni uses a wheelchair - a consequence, she and her supporters say, of mistreatment by police over the years.