The White House confirmed earlier this week that China released three Americans who had been detained on charges the U.S. government deemed completely unjust.
Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung, who all spent years in Chinese custody, will soon return to the United States to reunite with their families.
“I’m overjoyed to hear Kai, John, and Mark will be reunited with their families in the U.S., just in time for the holidays. For years, these men and their loved ones endured far too much pain and suffering at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party,” Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a recent statement.
The three men faced charges ranging from espionage to drug trafficking in China, accusations that various human rights groups and the U.S. government have strongly criticized.
Mark Swidan, a Texas businessman, was 38 years old when he was arrested in 2012 during a trip to China. He had traveled to explore business opportunities in construction but was detained after his driver and translator were allegedly caught with drugs. Swidan was accused of involvement in drug trafficking operations, despite weak supporting evidence, according to Fox News.
A U.N. investigation later found that Swidan neither possessed any drugs nor was near the location where Chinese authorities claimed he was. The U.N. also noted that the other people arrested in connection with the case failed to identify Swidan as a participant in the alleged trafficking ring.
Despite the lack of evidence, Swidan received a life sentence in China. His mother, Katherine Swidan, became a vocal advocate for his release, urging President Biden to pressure China for her son’s freedom.
“I want him to say his name. I want him to be strong and make some demands. Diplomacy is important, I understand that, but this has been going on too long. He is not well at all. He’s lost 100 pounds,” she told Fox News in a previous interview.
Kai Li, an American citizen with Chinese heritage, was detained in 2016 while traveling to China for his late mother’s memorial service. Upon arriving at Shanghai Pudong Airport, agents from China’s Ministry of State Security arrested him, and he has remained imprisoned ever since.
Li, accused of espionage and stealing state secrets, received a 10-year sentence. His family has consistently maintained that the charges were politically motivated. In media interviews last year, Li’s son, Harrison Li, called the situation a grave injustice. Li’s case drew international attention, with human rights groups demanding his release. Throughout his detention, his family tirelessly raised awareness, even running a grassroots website dedicated to his case.
The U.S. government repeatedly urged China to release Li, but it took years of diplomatic efforts to secure his freedom.
John Leung, a Hong Kong resident and U.S. citizen, was detained in 2021 while in China on charity work, according to The Wall Street Journal. Leung, whose work involved supporting low-income communities and organizing cultural exchanges between the U.S. and China, faced espionage charges in 2023.
Sen. Ted Cruz celebrated the releases on social media, saying, “I am overjoyed that Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung have been released and are returning to their families. I could not be happier for Mark’s mother, Katherine Swidan, who from her home in Luling, Texas, spent 12 years waging an unremitting battle to ensure Mark’s release and make today a reality.”