Three American citizens who had been detained in China have been released, according to a State Department spokesperson. Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung have been released after years of detention. Li, a 70-year-old from Long Island, New York, was sentenced to 10 years in 2018 on espionage charges that his family believes are baseless. Swidan, a businessman from Texas, was sentenced to death in 2012 on drug-related charges that a UN working group deemed to have no evidential basis.
The State Department spokesperson announced that the three will soon return and be reunited with their families after years of separation. This news comes after the surprise release of American pastor David Lin in September, who had been jailed in China since 2006 for contract fraud.
The Dui Hua Foundation estimates that there are approximately 200 American detainees in China, with some imprisoned and others prevented from leaving the country during investigations. The State Department classifies only a few as wrongfully detained, while Beijing asserts that all cases are handled in accordance with the law.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the recent releases. The situation is ongoing, so viewers should stay tuned for updates on the story. Abigail Williams, Minyvonne Burke, and Jennifer Jett from NBC News contributed to this report.
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