Yes - all of these hitches, to a greater or lesser extent, release when grabbed. If you panic death grip any friction hitch this can be a problem for sure. Do everything you can to prevent this from happening, and have a backup in place in case it does.A prusik will absolutely release when you squeeze it. Although not as good as an autoblock, it is used as a backup on rappel. The advantage of the distel over the prusik is that it's easier to release if you want to move it UP your rope.
And I agree with the sentiment that pulling on the tag to take some load, and gently releasing the hitch partially is an easier, safer adjustment than unweighting completely and moving an ascender.
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