China detains 2 Americans (1)

It’s a good article – Still, I feel it’s strange that the NYT makes no mention of our Swedish citizen Gui Minhai, the Hong Kong bookseller and publisher abducted by China – even though the date of the article, Oct. 17, marks exactly 4 years, or 1,461 days, since the Chinese regime kidnapped Gui from his home, on Oct 17, 2015.

We have no news of him after they last paraded our fellow citizen on their TV, last year. Instead, the Chinese authorities just continue to detain him extra-legally – refusing consular visits, even though under international agreements they are obligated to allow our side to visit our citizen.

At the same time the Chinese “ambassador” in Stockholm continues his ultra-nasty campaign attacking anyone in Sweden and any Swedish media that defends Gui Minhai, or criticizes China in any way.

Even our own government has no idea how Gui is doing now. But I was glad to see that our new Foreign Minister Ann Linde tweeted on the anniversary, Oct 17, that they shall never forget Gui Minhai, and will continue indefinitely to keep working to get him liberated.

And in the Swedish government’s China strategy, released a few weeks ago, they made a special, sharply worded note of how China is holding our citizen and is denying consular access to him, despite our government’s and the EU’s repeated calls for such access – and for his immediate freedom.

Several rallies marked the 4-year “anniversary” of the kidnapping: including in Stockholm, Gothenburg & at the Frankfurt book fair, where a special umbrella vigil was held for Gui: https://twitter.com/Book_Fair/status/1184798230023946241

At the Gothenburg book fair just weeks ago, an empty chair waited for him. Gothenburg is Gui’s hometown in Sweden, and on Oct 17 the rally in Gothenburg featured the reading of Gui’s poetry, on the steps of the Chinese consulate there. In Stockholm, the rally, held outside the Chinese embassy, featured speeches, including one placing Gui Minhai in a Hong Kong context – see parts 2 and 3 of this 3-part thread: https://twitter.com/SundinLinda/status/1185059290295525376

Now, let me be clear, I do know that many hundreds of thousands of indigenous people in Xinjiang are being tormented in China’s new concentration-camp Gulag. I know that peaceful protesters in HK and even elected legislators are being smashed up by China’s street thugs – and by the police. And, I know many Chinese, including intellectuals, writers, and others also are suffering similar torture and forced confessions and humiliating parading on TV, like what Gui has suffered three times now. And I know that many foreigners, such as Peter Humphrey, Peter Dahlin, Lee Ming-che, and others have suffered much the same abominable, cruel treatment like Gui Minhai – and Lee Ming-che is also still being held, as are the Canadians, and so are many other people who may be falsely accused, like Nazrawit Abera, the Ethiopian woman engineer awaiting execution under the notoriously flawed Chinese system, where the Party trumps justice. Yes, many others of various nations are facing the lawlessness and the callousness of today’s Chinese regime.

But still, I want to make a special note here of Gui Minhai’s case. NEVER FORGET.

Magnus Fiskesjö < nf42@cornell.edu>

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