The U.S. State Department has publicly reacted to the Chinese government’s decision to uphold the death sentence of U.S. citizen and Texas resident Mark Swidan.
In a statement, the State Department said Swidan was “wrongfully detained.”
“We are disappointed by this decision and will continue to press for his immediate release and return to the United States,” Vedant Patel, spokesperson for the State Department, wrote in the statement.
“U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed their concerns to senior [People’s Republic of China] officials about Mr. Swidan’s treatment, medical care, and his inability to send or receive mail in a timely manner,” the statement continues. “President Biden and Secretary Blinken continue to remain personally focused on the release of Mark Swidan and other U.S. nationals wrongfully detained or held hostage across the world.”
Swidan, a businessman hailing from Texas, has been detained for more than 10 years, according to CNN. He was originally arrested in 2012 on drug charges.
He was convicted in 2019 of manufacturing and trafficking drugs and given a death sentence with a two-year reprieve, meaning that the sentence could be commuted to life imprisonment after two years, depending on his conduct.
The United Nations said in 2020 that Swidan was arbitrarily detained and that he should be released immediately.
Swidan’s mother, Katherine, told CNN in February that Swidan had been treated badly during his detention.
“He’s been in there for 10 years, where they never turn the lights off, so as a result, he’s going blind. He’s got fractures in his leg,” she said. She claims that a guard in the prison broke her son’s hand multiple times.
“He’s suffering and he’s got an infection. He has severe periodontal disease. He has holes in his mouth that bleed constantly. He’s lost 130 pounds.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said earlier this year in a tweet that Swidan was “sentenced to death on false charges.”
“China says they want to respected on the world stage, but this is how Third World despots act. They must release Mark,” he wrote.
