Three Americans who had been detained in China for years have finally been released. The U.S. government confirmed that Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung are now in U.S. custody and on their way to home. They are home after years of wrongful imprisonment
- Kai Li: He is 70-year-old from New York and was arrested in 2016. He was sentenced to 10 years for espionage, but his family has always said the charges were not true and now it is confirmed that the charges are really fake.
- Mark Swidan: A businessman from Texas and was detained in 2012 and sentenced to death in 2019 for drug charges. The United Nations said these charges didn’t have enough evidence.
- John Leung: In his 70s, had been held in China since 2021. He was found guilty of espionage and sentenced to life in prison.
All three were considered to be wrongfully detained by the U.S. State Department. Their families have been waiting for years for this moment, and now they are finally returning home and their families are really happy.
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Senator Chuck Schumer worked with the family of Kai Li and other U.S. officials to help bring them home. He said that this Thanksgiving, families are feeling extremely thankful for the return of their loved ones.
The U.S. Department of State has been in talks with Chinese officials for months to make the release happen. The three Americans were released without a public announcement about any exchange or trade, but U.S. officials have said that it had been in the works for some time.
This release follows the unexpected return of American pastor David Lin in September. Lin had been in Chinese prison for over 18 years on charges of fraud.
While the U.S. is celebrating the safe return of its citizens, there are still many other Americans who remain detained in China. The U.S. government is continuing to work on resolving their cases as well.
Read more about wrongful detentions here.
