Hong Kong authorities today withdrew an unpopular extradition bill that sparked months of chaotic protests that have since morphed into a campaign for greater democratic change.

The long-expected scrapping of the bill was overshadowed by the drama surrounding the release of Chan Tong-Kai from a Hong Kong prison. Kai is accused of murdering his girlfriend and told reporters he was willing to surrender to authorities in Taiwan.

Kai was released after serving a separate sentence for money laundering offences. He could not be sent to Taiwan because the semi-autonomous Chinese city of Hong Kong has no extradition agreement with self-ruled Taiwan.

Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam had offered extradition legislation earlier this year to close what she called a “loophole” but the bill sparked widespread protests over concerns it put residents at risk of being sent into mainland China’s murky judicial system.