After nearly 20 years of being detained in China, American pastor David Lin has finally been released, bringing hope to others in similar situations. U.S. lawmakers are calling on the State Department to strengthen diplomatic efforts and swiftly bring other unfairly detained American citizens back home.
On Wednesday, during a hearing of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) in the U.S. Congress and administration, family members of four Americans detained in China spoke out, urging the U.S. government to take action to bring them home.
The four Americans who have been unjustly detained are Kai Li, Mark Swidan, Dawn Michelle Hunt, and Nelson Wells Jr. Their family members at the hearing shared the agony their loved ones have been enduring. All four have been detained for at least 8 years.
CECC is a committee established by the U.S. Congress to monitor human rights conditions in China. CECC has pointed out that there are more Americans detained in China than in any other country. The committee aims to expose the tragic experiences of other American citizens detained in China and pressure Washington to take action.
Chairman of the committee and Republican federal congressman Chris Smith stated, “This is a case of the violation of human rights of Americans going unpunished.”
Kai Li’s son, Harrison Li, testified during the hearing that his father suffered a stroke, lost a tooth, and endured harsh restrictions by the Chinese authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic, spending three years in a cramped cell.
Kai Li, born in China, traveled to Shanghai in 2016 to visit his mother’s grave. Upon arrival, he was arrested by Chinese security personnel, charged with espionage, and swiftly sentenced to 10 years in prison after a rushed secret trial in a Chinese court. Human rights organizations argue that the charges against Kai Li are baseless.
Harrison Li expressed, “Waking up every day, thinking about him and 7 to 11 others cramped in a narrow cell without air conditioning, unable to sleep in the summer heat, enduring mental and physical suffering, sends shivers down my spine.”
He urged U.S. lawmakers, saying it is time to bring his father home. Harrison Li asked, “I want to ask President Biden, how much longer does my father need to endure this pain?”
Nelson Wells Sr. said his son Nelson Wells Jr. has been detained in China since 2014. The family believes he was unknowingly carrying drugs and is suffering from “chronic pain, seizures, malnutrition, visceral diseases, toothaches, severe depression, and self-harming thoughts.”
The prolonged separation from his son has left Nelson frustrated. He asked, “Please help our families and provide a path to either release the prisoners completely or transfer them to home confinement.”
Dawn Hunt’s brother, Tim Hunt, choked up while requesting assistance from the committee. Dawn Hunt was arrested in 2014, accused of drug trafficking, a charge she denies. She is currently serving her sentence in a prison in Guangdong province in southern China.
Tim Hunt explained that his sister, at the age of 42, was enthusiastic about a lottery game. When she received an email from someone claiming to be a British lawyer, saying she had won a free trip to Australia but had to first collect the award documents in Hong Kong, Dawn Hunt’s excitement outweighed her suspicion, and she immediately set off upon receiving the ticket.
He mentioned that she was ultimately taken to the Chinese mainland, and while on a flight to Australia, she received a designer handbag as a gift. However, Chinese law enforcement officers discovered over two kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in the bag’s lining during a luggage inspection at the airport.
Tim Hunt recounted that his sister fell ill, but due to a lack of trust in the authorities, she refused surgery.
Co-chair of the committee and Democratic senator Jeff Merkley stated that while Americans should be held accountable for breaking the law abroad, the enforcement and human rights records of the Chinese government make judicial fairness unattainable.
Republican congressman Zach Nunn accused China of engaging in hostage diplomacy, detaining American citizens to leverage influence over the United States.
The hearing also featured a video statement from Katherine Swidan, mother of Mark Swidan, who is suffering from drug charges and has been detained in China for 12 years. The U.S. State Department also considers Mark Swidan to be unlawfully imprisoned.
Katherine urged the U.S. government in a statement, “I implore to save my son’s life, his freedom, and the opportunity to bring him home.”