Three Americans, including a man who was facing the death penalty, have been freed 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 US National Security Council spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday.
‘Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years.’
The US citizens are already in US custody, officials said.
The Chinese citizens released in the swap have not been named.
Swidan, who was arrested in 2012 on drug charges and sentenced to death, had been designated as wrongfully detained by the US government.
He has spent over a decade detained in what has been described by his family as a ‘holding tank.’
Swidan’s family says he has undergone physical and psychological torture and has attempted suicide.
Three Americans, including a man who was facing the death penalty, have been freed by China in a prisoner swap with the US
Mark Swidan, who was arrested in 2012 on drug charges and sentenced to death, had been designated as wrongfully detained by the US government
Kai Li was detained in 2016 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage charges
Li, meanwhile, was detained in 2016 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage charges.
Leung, on his part, has been detained sine 2021 and was sentenced last year to life in prison on spying charges.
