In 2015, Swedish bookseller Gui Minhai was abducted from Thailand to China by the Chinese security and disappeared after being sentenced to a heavy prison term on charges of “espionage”. According to Amnesty International, he is currently being secretly detained at an undisclosed location within China.
As the 10th anniversary of Gui Minhai’s secret detention by the Chinese authorities approaches, Sarah Brooks, China Programme Director at Amnesty International, stated on Wednesday (October 15th) that “Gui Minhai’s abduction, prosecution, and conviction blatantly violate the basic principles of international law. His case is not an isolated act of injustice but one of the early cases in which the Chinese (Communist) government intentionally suppresses dissent and even resorts to cross-border repression.”
Brooks called on governments, especially Sweden, other EU member states, and the EU itself, to ensure that Gui Minhai is not forgotten. She urged continued public and sustained calls for his release and the use of all available means to pressure the Chinese government to disclose Gui Minhai’s whereabouts, ensure consular access, and fully protect his rights.
She emphasized that the Chinese authorities must “put an end to this brutal secret treatment” and unconditionally release him.
Gui Minhai, 60, previously operated the Causeway Bay Bookstore in Hong Kong, which was known for selling books on Chinese leaders and political scandals banned in mainland China but popular among mainland tourists.
In October 2015, Gui Minhai’s abduction back to China from Thailand by the Chinese security drew international attention. Meanwhile, his three colleagues also went missing.
In January 2016, Gui Minhai reappeared, and the Chinese state media CCTV aired his so-called “confession video,” claiming his disappearance was related to a 2003 traffic accident case. Many believe the alleged “drunk driving offense” was just an excuse used by the CCP to imprison Gui Minhai and shut down his publishing company.
In October 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that Gui Minhai had “completed the sentence for the traffic accident case” and released him. However, in reality, Gui Minhai has been under soft detention at his ancestral home in Ningbo.
On January 20, 2018, while Gui Minhai was accompanied by Swedish diplomats for medical treatment in Beijing, he was suddenly apprehended by approximately 10 plainclothes police officers and has since disappeared.
Gui Minhai’s daughter, Angela Gui, has been tirelessly advocating for her father over the years. Angela revealed that in 2019, she was threatened by individuals posing as “businessmen” likely from the Chinese security, demanding her silence in the media in exchange for reducing her father’s sentence, warning that if she did not keep quiet, she would never see her father again.
Former Swedish Ambassador to China, Anna Lindstedt, hoped for cooperation from Angela Gui under the pretext that “China (the CCP) may punish Sweden”. Following the incident, Lindstedt was recalled to Sweden for investigation. The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs later stated that Lindstedt had behaved inappropriately during the incident.
On February 24, 2020, Gui Minhai was sentenced to 10 years in prison, deprived of political rights for 5 years on charges of “illegally providing intelligence to overseas forces”, subsequently losing contact with his family and access to assistance from the Swedish consulate.
On February 25, 2022, Olympic speed skater Nils van der Poel presented his 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics gold medal to Gui Minhai’s daughter Angela in protest against the Chinese government’s human rights violations.