Three Americans, including a man facing the death penalty, have been released by China in a prisoner swap with the US.
“We are pleased to announce the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung from detention in the People’s Republic of China,” a spokesperson for the US National Security Council said. CNN on Wednesday.
“Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years.”
The U.S. citizens, all of whom have been labeled “wrongful detainees” by the State Department, are already in U.S. custody, officials said.
The Chinese citizens released in the swap were not named.
Swidan was arrested for drug possession in 2012 and sentenced to death.
He spent more than a decade in what his family describes as a “storage tank.” They say he suffered physical and psychological torture and attempted suicide.
Three Americans, including a man facing the death penalty, have been released by China in a prisoner swap with the US.
Mark Swidan, who was arrested on drug charges in 2012 and sentenced to death, had been classified as wrongfully detained by the US government
Kai Li was arrested in 2016 and sentenced to ten years in prison for espionage activities
Leung had been in custody since 2021 and was sentenced to life in prison last year on espionage charges
Li, meanwhile, was arrested in 2016 and sentenced to 10 years in prison on espionage charges.
Leung, for his part, has been in custody since 2021 and was sentenced to life in prison last year on espionage charges.