Chinese ‘Ai Weiwei’ Artist strikes out at Govt. on Twitter

Ai Weiwei Chinese artist on Tuesday made his first anti-government remarks since his release from imprisonment, using Twitter to hit out at the treatment of social group and fellow protester.

Ai, who has made some public remarks since he was released in June after three months in jail, said colleagues who were locked up "because of me" had undergone" large mental violence and physical torment".

The artist said Liu Zhenggang, a designer at his studio, had come close to death after experiencing a heart attack during the time he used up in detention.

"Today I saw Liu Zhenggang, it was the first time he had talked about this confinement," said Ai in a tweet on Tuesday.

"He elevated his right hand and said, 'Sir, I want to drink water'. Then this strong man rip open into tears... He had a heart attack when was in jail and approximately died."

In a separate tweet, Ai said three other people he had worked with -- accountant Hu Mingfen; Wen Tao, Ai's assistant, and Zhang Jinsong, the artist's cousin and driver, had been "unlawfully jailed".

They and Liu had "naively suffered great mental violence and physical persecute," he said.

Another Tweet supported his group to talk out in favor of two rebels, the well known human rights supporter Wang Lihong and Ran Yunfei, a writer.

Ai tweeted on Saturday for the first time as he was taken into under arrest at Beijing's international airport on April 3 while attempting to board a flight to Hong Kong.

Twitter is officially blocked in China but several web users still run to access the site via virtual proxy networks (VPNs).

The artist, whose work is often showcased abroad, said after his liberate he could not talk to the press about the case against him.

A Chinese official have said the busky avant-garde artist, an outspoken critic of the Communist Party, was held for tax avoidance and banned him from leaving Beijing for a year after his discharge.

Human Rights groups have however said the opened 54-year-old was arrested as part of a wider crack down on campaigners started in February.

The government said he was released on June 22 because of his "good manner" in acknowledging to the allegations against him, his motivation to pay back taxes he owes and on medical grounds. He has diabetes.