His sister, a mother of four, had burned herself to death to protest China's 'violent rule' in Tibetan areas.
Tibetans attending the Northwest University of Nationalities in China's Gansu see themselves marginalized by new policies.
They were convicted of sending information and images of a Tibetan mother's protest to outside contacts.
Monks and nuns from Qinghai, Gansu, and Yunnan provinces are told to leave the huge religious study complex.
He is freed without explanation after serving more than four years for criticizing Beijing's rule in Tibetan areas.
Usually held only by monks, the event draws hundreds of nuns from seven convents in Sichuan and Qinghai.
A resolution of the dispute over Tibet's status has been hindered by separate security concerns, a Tibetan scholar says.
Both monks and laypeople take part in religious instruction and promotion of Tibetan language and culture.
He had watched a program in the prison's TV room outside permitted hours, a local source says.
He joins another Socktsang monk in custody after being seized at gunpoint in his quarters.
Sentenced for having supported a self-immolation protest, he is freed for 'good conduct' while in custody.
Described as involved only in the monastery's work, he may have been targeted for viewing news broadcast from outside areas.
He is warmly greeted at home by relatives and friends despite police warnings that no welcome should be given.
Lobsang Kelsang's family still lack information on his condition, though, and are not allowed to visit him.
Two more nuns have died, with a third saved at the last minute by friends who intervened.
Houses, cars, and livestock are swept away, but no deaths are reported.
Authorities approve festival but deploy police, fearing possible protests against Chinese rule.
