Outgoing President Joe Biden addressed the case of these prisoners during his last meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month on the sidelines of a summit in Lima
The United States announced that China released three “unjustly detained” US citizens, a few weeks before the end of the term of outgoing President Joe Biden and the return of Donald Trump to the White House.
Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung were released as part of an exchange for unidentified Chinese citizens detained in the US.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on the social network .
Spoke to Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung as they traveled home to the United States just in time for Thanksgiving. I told them how glad I was that they were in good health and that they’ll soon be reunited with their loved ones.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken)
“I told them that I was very happy that they are in good health and that they will soon be reunited with their loved ones,” he added in the message, posted on the social network.
Mark Swidan has been detained since 2012 after being arrested on a business trip and accused of drug possession.
His family and supporters insist there was never any evidence against him, claiming his driver and interpreter falsely accused him.
During his detention, he was deprived of sleep and food to the point of losing around 45 kilos, according to Dui Hua, an association supporting prisoners in China.
His mother, Katherine, who lives in Texas, complained at a congressional hearing last September that the Biden administration was not doing enough to secure her son’s release. “Our loved ones are not political pawns,” he said.
John Leung is a US citizen who permanently resides in Hong Kong. He was arrested in 2021 and convicted of espionage.
Kai Li was born in Shanghai but is a naturalized U.S. citizen. This businessman was arrested in 2016 and also convicted of espionage.
In September, David Lin, an American pastor detained in China since 2006, was released. Lin was sentenced to life in prison, accused of fraud, according to the American press, but Washington considered the sentence unfounded.
Outgoing President Joe Biden addressed the case of these prisoners during his last meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month on the sidelines of a summit in Lima.
The release of the Americans is being carried out with the utmost discretion, unlike the recent prisoner exchanges between the United States and Russia, in which President Biden went to the airport to receive them.
In total, the Biden administration is pleased to have secured the release of about 70 Americans it considers to have been unjustly detained around the world, according to officials.
