USA secure release of 3 Americans in prisoner exchange with China
USA secure release of 3 Americans in prisoner exchange with China
In a significant diplomatic step, the United States released three Americans who have been captured in China for years as part of a prisoner exchange. The American government announced that Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung were released from custody in the People's Republic of China. A spokesman for the USA National Security Council expressed: "We are pleased to announce the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung from the detention in the People's Republic of China. Soon they will return home and come back with their families after many years."Details of the prisoner exchange
The Americans were released in an exchange against unnamed Chinese citizens and are now in American care, as a US official confirmed. In addition, the United States lowered its travel lines for China at level 2 on Wednesday: "increased caution". This message was first reported by Politico.
diplomatic efforts of the bidue administration
"Thanks to the efforts and the diplomacy of this administration with the People's Republic of China, all the wrongly held are now at home," added the speaker. Li and Swidan were classified as wrongly held by the US State Department. This step takes place less than two months before the elected President Donald Trump takes office, and is the result of years of silent diplomatic efforts by the bid administration.
family reactions and gratitude
In an explanation on Wednesday evening, Kai Li's son, Harrison Li, expressed the joy of his family about his father's return from captivity after over 3,000 days. "We are very grateful for the many authorities, people and non -governmental organizations that made this day possible," he wrote, and paid particular respect for bidies, the National Security Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Even without the pressure of an upcoming choice, they delivered in time to the holidays," he added.
political support for the prisoner exchange
On the occasion of the return of the Americans, numerous MPs of both parties expressed their joy over the development. The Republican Senator Ted Cruz, usually a critic of the bid administration, praised their efforts to secure release. Cruz emphasized that the negotiations on the release of unfair Americans are one of the most difficult tasks for our diplomats.
calls for further support
Harrison Li called on President Joe Biden to use the remaining days of his term in order to bring other Americans who are arrested abroad or wrongly held home. David Lin, another wrongly held American, was released from China in September.
The personal stories of those affected
The families of Li and Swidan were very active in their commitment to the release of their relatives. Harrison Li regularly traveled to Washington to fight for his father's release, who was arrested in 2016 and was sentenced to a ten -year prison sentence for spy. Mark Swidan's mother, Katherine Swidan, also worried about her son's life, who was arrested in 2012 for drug -related offenses and has been imprisoned since then and under difficult conditions lit.
insights into the detention conditions
Swidan spent more than a decade in a detention center that his mother described as a "stop camp", where her son was exposed to psychological and physical torture and even attempted suicide. He was sentenced to death in 2019. Leung, who was arrested in 2021, received a lifelong prison for spy in 2023. He is considered the leading member of several pro-Chinese groups in the United States and had maintained close contacts with high-ranking Chinese government officials for years.
This story is updated with further developments. CNNS Evan Perez contributed to this report.
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