Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom has called upon China to immediately release Gui Minhai, a Hong Kong-based bookseller, for medical attention who was seized by Chinese agents on Saturday as he travelled to Beijing with two European diplomats.
In late 2015. Gui disappeared while on vacation in Pattaya, Thailand with no record of departure, only to re-emerge on Chinese state television months later “confessing” to a drunk-driving accident that took place over a decade ago.
He was held in Chinese custody for two years and was released last October having served his sentence. Then seized again from a train in front of diplomats last Saturday for selling political gossip titles banned in the mainland.
In a statement, Sweden’s foreign minister, Margot Wallstrom said, “We take a very serious view” of Gui’s detention which had taken place “during an ongoing consular support mission”, as he travelled to Beijing for a medical examination.. China had given “no specific reason” for the action.
Wallstrom, said, “We expect the immediate release of our fellow citizen, and that he be given the opportunity to meet Swedish diplomatic and medical staff.”
Sweden’s foreign minister also rejected insinuations by her counterparts in China’s foreign ministry that the two Swedish diplomats traveling with Gui when he was taken had violated unspecified laws.
According to the bookseller’s daughter, Angela, he was heading to the capital for a medical examination at the Swedish embassy as a result of concerns he may be suffering from a rare neurological disease.
Wallstrom said “The Chinese authorities have assured us on numerous occasions that Mr Gui Minhai has been free since his release having served a sentence for a traffic-related offence, and that we can have any contact we wish with our fellow citizen.”
“We expect the immediate release of our fellow citizen, and that he be given the opportunity to meet Swedish diplomatic and medical staff.”
On Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying said, “From our understanding, Gui Minhai has already completely served the sentence imposed for a traffic offence, and was released on October 2017. There is no reason for his apparent detention now.”
>Juthy Saha
Sweden calls on China to release detained bookseller Gui Minhai
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