Press release: Swedish PEN open letter to President Xi Jinping
The city of Lijiang | Credit: Trey Ratcliff
The six largest newspapers in Sweden: Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet, Expressen, Aftonbladet, Göteborgs-Posten and Sydsvenskan-HD will jointly publish an open letter addressed to Chinese president, Xi Jinping. The letter is an appeal to immediately release writer and publisher Gui Minhai and for the attacks against freedom of expression, launched by the Chinese embassy in Stockholm, to be stopped.
The campaign has been initiated by Swedish PEN, the Swedish Writer’s Association, the Swedish Publisher’s Association and the Swedish Union of Journalists.
The open letter is signed by 30 persons; among them writers, publishers, Chinese experts, professors of international law and Chinese language and culture (all signatories are listed in the enclosed open letter). There will also be a link to the campaign for anyone who wishes to sign. The collected signatures will be handed over to the Chinese embassy in Stockholm at the end of the campaign.
Background
Gui Minhai, who is a Swedish Citizen and publisher based in Hongkong, was abducted by Chinese security agents at his holiday home in Thailand, on 17 October 2015. He was brought to mainland China, where his wherabouts were unknown for several weeks, until Chinese State media aired a forced confession video, in Janaury 2016. In October 2017, he was briefly released but kept under heavy surveillance. In January 2018, while travelling on a train to Beijing for a medical examination, accompanied by two Swedish diplomats, a group of plainclothes men boarded the train and Gui Minhai was once more abducted. Since then Gui Minhai remains in custody, without access to either lawyer or consular assistance.
For further information, please contact:
Elisabeth Löfgren
Chair Writers in Prison Committee
Svenska PEN/Swedish PEN
M:+46 (0)70 5267035